Ivory Simms, PhD, MBA

Director of Operations and Partnerships
Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health
School of Medicine

Ivory J. Simms is the Director of Operations and Partnerships at the Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ (ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½). She holds a PhD in Designing Sustainable Systems from the Weatherhead School of Management at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Graduate certification in Organizational Change Leadership from Georgia State University (GSU) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (BA) and a Bachelor of Science in Communication (BSC) from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

Dr. Simms is an industry scholar pioneering growth and innovation through evidence-based
methodologies. With over 20 years of extensive operational excellence, Dr. Simms has implemented sustainable business solutions through transdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships. Dr. Simms is an environmental, health, safety and sustainability (EHS&S) subject matter expert specializing in private and non-profit sectors. 

As a food systems scholar and fellow at the Weatherhead School of Management, Designing Sustainable Systems program, Dr. Simms examined the relationship between food banks and local food retail stores in Cleveland, Ohio. Through a mixed-method exploratory analysis, Dr. Simms analyzed the economic impacts of food bank distributions on independent grocers in food insecure environments.

In her role as Director of Operations and Partnerships, Dr. Simms is responsible for the business operations and community partnership of the Swetland Center. Additionally, she will serve as staff lead on community engaged research projects such as The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Northern Ohio. Dr. Simms brings depth of sustainable business and research acumen to the Swetland Center team.

Awards and Honors

Mitchell V. Morse Memorial Scholarship
2021
Weatherhead School of Management, ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½
Doctor of Management Design & Innovation Fellow
2020
Weatherhead School of Management ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½
Doctor of Nonprofit Management Fellow
2020
Weatherhead School of Management, ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Professional Memberships

Academy of Management (AOM)
PhD Project, Management Faculty of Color Association (MFCA)

Education

PhD
Designing Sustainable Systems
ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, Cleveland, OH
2023
Master of Business Administration
Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
2018
Graduate Certificate
Organizational Change Leadership
Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
2018
Bachelor of Arts
Political Science
Ohio University, Athens, OH
2000
Bachelor of Science
Communication Science
Ohio University, Athens, OH
2000