Dr. Shalei V. K. Simms is the Dean and Associate Professor of Management at SUNY Old Westbury School of Business. Her research focuses on decision-making, creativity, and social entrepreneurship. Of particular interest is how identities consciously and unconsciously affect perceptions of risky decisions. Her work has been featured in such publications as Group Decisions and Negotiations journal and International Perspectives of Social Entrepreneurship Research. She has also presented her research at both national and international conferences. In addition, Dr. Simms has taught several courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, including Decision Making in Organizations, Creativity and Decision Making, Strategic Management, and Organizational Behavior. She is the former Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Director for Graduate Studies.
Dr. Simms is also active in her community, where she shares her expertise to various constituents. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Teachers Federal Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in the country, and was formerly on the Board of Managers of the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA. She has presented her “From Idea to Action” and “Level-up” workshop series to potential small business entrepreneurs and provides individual consulting to small business owners. She has also offered her “Words have Wings” workshop series, designed to assist individuals in transitional residency programs develop personal strategic plans as they move towards permanent housing.
Dr. Simms holds a PhD from Rutgers Business School and a BA from Wesleyan University. She is a member of the Eastern Academy of Management International Association and Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, Thomas and twin daughters.