David Matos Simas
(born January 5, 1970)
is an
American lawyer, former government official, and a former politician. He is the CEO of the
Obama Foundation
The Barack Obama Foundation is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization founded in 2014. It oversees the creation of the Barack Obama Presidential Center, runs the My Brother's Keeper Alliance (a program Barack Obama began while he was president), ...
[
* Also available at]
Grenzebach Glier and Associates
/ref> and served in Barack Obama's administration as the White House Director of Political Affairs from 2014 to 2016.
Early life and education
Simas was born and raised in Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. At the 2020 cen ...
, the son of Portuguese American
Portuguese Americans ( pt, português-americanos), also known as Luso-Americans (''luso-americanos''), are citizens and residents of the United States who are connected to the country of Portugal by birth, ancestry, or citizenship.
Americans and ...
immigrant parents, Antonio and Deolinda Simas. Simas lost two of her fingers in a faulty machine at the silver factory where she worked when Simas was a child. The Portuguese immigrant lawyer who worked on the case inspired Simas to become a lawyer. He attended Coyle and Cassidy High School
Coyle & Cassidy High School and Middle School (formerly St. Mary's High School, Monsignor Coyle High School, and Coyle and Cassidy High School) was a private, Catholic Diocesan school located in Taunton, Massachusetts, United States. The school ...
and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stonehill College. He later earned a Juris Doctor from the Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
With approximately 800 stud ...
in 1995.
Career
Simas began his political career working as an intern in Senator Edward M. Kennedy's office in 1989. He was later elected to the Taunton School Board in 1993 and the Taunton City Council in 1997 and 1999. He later served as president of the council and worked as an advisor to the mayor of Taunton.
After leaving the city council he served as an assistant register of deeds for the Northern district office of the Bristol County Registry of Deeds. He was later elected as the new Register of Deeds of the Northern district of Bristol County in 2004.[David M. Simas (D)](_blank)
/ref> He won reelection in 2006 but later resigned to accept a position in Governor Deval Patrick's administration.
He formerly served as deputy general counsel to the Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
Post Audit and Oversight Bureau and practiced law with the law firm of Gay & Gay Associates, PC.
He worked as deputy chief of staff to Massachusetts Governor
The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces.
Massachuset ...
Deval Patrick from 2007 until 2009. In 2009, he joined the Obama White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
as a deputy assistant to the president, working under Senior Advisor David Axelrod.
He worked as director of opinion research for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and then served as a liaison between the president and Democratic officials for two and a half years.
Simas was appointed CEO of the Obama Foundation in December 2016.
Personal life
Simas married his high school sweetheart, Shauna. They have two daughters and live in Hyde Park in Chicago.
References
External links
Letter from David Simas, CEO - The Obama Foundation
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simas, David
1970 births
American political consultants
Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign
Boston College Law School alumni
Living people
Obama administration personnel
Politicians from Chicago
Politicians from Taunton, Massachusetts
Stonehill College alumni
21st-century American lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American politicians
Massachusetts lawyers