Assistant Professor of History
Dr. Simmons joined Emmanuel University in 2021. He teaches courses in American History, in particular the two-part American history survey. Prior to joining Emmanuel, he worked at the University of South Florida as an experiential learning specialist in the Office of Undergraduate Research. Dr. Simmons has also spent significant time in the public service sector, working for both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the North Carolina judicial system.
Dr. Simmons received his Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Florida. He also holds an M.A. in U.S. history from the University of Tulsa and a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. His research interests focus on the intersection of race and labor in the twentieth-century American South. His first teaching experience was as an English as Foreign Language instructor in Valparaiso, Chile where he taught beginning and intermediate English.
When not in the classroom you can find him and his spouse Vivian hanging out with their dog and two cats or exploring the northeastern Georgia wilderness on the weekend searching for waterfalls.
