Michael Simms received his master’s of public administration from the University of North Carolina. Simms teaches a class on local government at the United States Military Academy West Point. He has served as an officer in the US Army for 11 years and as a commander for a Company of over 200 soldiers. He interned for the town manager in the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2021. Simms has done consulting work for several cities across North Carolina. His focus area is on retention and turnover in local government.