Harold B. Simmons Interim Executive Director Center for Career Discovery and Development

Harold Simmons was named Interim Executive Director of the Georgia Tech Center for Career Discovery and Development in October, 2013. He had previously retired from Georgia Tech in October, 2010, from the post of Director, Cooperative Education, in the Division of Professional Practice (DoPP) a position he had held since 2003.

He joined Georgia Tech as Assistant Director in the Office of the Registrar in 1977; and was Assistant Director and Associate Director of the Georgia Tech Cooperative Division (predecessor to DoPP) from 1980 until 1990, and from 1990 to 2002, respectively.

Simmons worked with more than ten thousand co-op students studying engineering, science, and management during his previous tenure at Georgia Tech, and during those years the Georgia Tech co-op program continued to grow in the number of participating students and is now the largest, optional co-op program in the United States.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from Georgia Tech, and following graduation served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for four years with engineering staff responsibilities, and then three years in engineering management within the textile industry. Before returning to Georgia Tech in 1977, Simmons earned a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in English from Georgia State University. He also completed twenty-five years in the U.S. Naval Reserve, attaining the rank of Commander.

Simmons has been a member of the Cooperative Education Division (CED) of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and served as both Chair-elect of that division, and chairman of CED, which represents more than 100 engineering co-op programs, nationwide. In February, 2010, the Cooperative Education Division of ASEE presented Simmons with the Alvah K. Borman Award for his sustained and meritorious contributions to cooperative education in engineering and engineering technology.

His joint research on co-op work assignments and well-being for co-op students in the workplace has been published in the Journal of Engineering Education. He has served as program chairman for the Cooperative Education Division at the ASEE Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration and as Chairman for the Southeastern Regional Cooperative Education Conference. Additionally, Simmons has been very active in the Georgia Cooperative Education Network and has affiliations with other co-op organizations in the state of Georgia.