David Matos Simas (born January 5, 1970) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

lawyer, former government official, and a former politician. He is the CEO of the Obama Foundation * 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, 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 an ...

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 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Stonehill College Stonehill College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that ...

. 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 Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

'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)
/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. Massachusetts ...

Deval Patrick from 2007 until 2009. In 2009, he joined the Obama White House 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