Walter Simmons
President & CEO
Employ Prince George’s, Inc.
Largo, MD USA
“Never tell yourself no.”
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Growing up, I wasn’t a bad student, but I primarily received Cs and Bs—later on, I was diagnosed with ADHD.
After the September 11 attacks, I was determined to join the military—however, I received a scholarship to play football in college, so I decided to go that route instead.
While interning in the probation department for Newberry County Juvenile Justice and seeing the struggles facing so many people, I realized I wanted to dedicate myself to making my community better.
I decided the best way for me to improve my community was to help others make money, so I got into workforce development.
In 2014, I was one of two people from South Carolina selected to attend a summit at the White House for working families—the experience changed my life.
Within 90 days, I had moved to Washington, D.C. and started working for the Department of Employment Services.
I was eventually called to Maryland, where I spent two years working in economic development in Prince George’s County.
After gaining some experience, I realized we could make major improvements to our work—I started a new workforce development nonprofit and currently lead the organization as president and CEO.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
History
Newberry College
History
Newberry College
Bachelor
Sociology
Newberry College
Sociology
Newberry College
Career
President & CEO
I lead a non-profit workforce development organization for Prince George's County, Maryland.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Government
Non-Profit Organizations
Helping People
Day to Day
My days vary but everything I do is to facilitate the system we've created. That can mean spending time shooting videos of a new job center. It can mean doing interviews to raise awareness. I may spend time traveling to help teach others to build a workforce development system. I also speak with local officials to discuss how we can allocate funds to help business thrive and help people gain skills and resources to succeed. I may even be helping a single person at a job center with their resume.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Go visit some colleges and universities while you're still in high school so that you can get a feel for the school. This will help you determine if it could be a good fit for you. I also recommend finding internships or volunteer opportunities. That first-hand experience is so beneficial for your exploration.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
History
History
Bachelor
Sociology
Sociology
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"You're only 28—you can't start a better organization. You think you know it all. You don't know enough to start a new business."
Challenges I Overcame
Death and Loss
