Angela Simms

Angela Simms is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Urban Studies at Barnard College-Columbia University. She examines the political economy of United States metropolitan areas through the lens of suburban Black middle-class jurisdictions’ capacity to garner sufficient tax revenue for maintaining high-quality public goods and services. She is the author of the book Fighting for a Foothold: How Government and Markets Undermine Black Middle-Class Suburbia.

Prior to academia, Angela served in the federal government for seven years as a Presidential Management Fellow and legislative analyst at the Office of Management and Budget during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama Administrations. She holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Texas-Austin, and a bachelor’s degree in government from William and Mary.

Angela is from Woodbridge, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. She lives in New York City (Harlem) and is a member of Renaissance Church, where she serves on the prayer ministry. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, running and lifting weights, hiking, and museum exhibits and the performing arts.