Omari Scott Simmons

Omari Scott Simmons is a leading corporate governance and higher education expert whose impactful work is utilized by scholars, courts, policymakers, and practitioners. His research appears in tops journals and is cited by federal and state courts. Professor Simmons serves as a commentator on corporate governance and higher education matters for various media outlets. His recent research examines emerging corporate governance challenges such as political risk as well as the evolving role of corporate directors, intermediaries, and business courts.

Prior to joining the George Washington University Law School faculty, Professor Simmons was a faculty member with Wake Forest University School of Law where he was University Chair, the Howard L. Oleck Professor of Business Law, and founding director of the business law program. Prior to entering academia, Professor Simmons worked as corporate counsel for two multinational corporations and practiced at the law firm of Wilmer Hale in Washington, DC. Immediately after law school, he clerked for the Honorable E. Norman Veasey, Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court.

Professor Simmons is an elected member of the American Law Institute. He is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Simmons Memorial Foundation (SMF), an award-winning nonprofit organization that provides a range of college access-related services to vulnerable students. An organizational case study of SMF is captured in his book Potential on the Periphery: College Access from the Ground Up (Rutgers Univ. Press). 

Professor Simmons received his undergraduate education at Wake Forest University; his Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School; and a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge. At the University of Pennsylvania, he received the Thouron Award and the Fontaine Fellowship. Professor Simmons has received multiple honors in recognition of his efforts in promoting higher education opportunities.

In the News