Kara Simmons, Board Member

One does not have to search far to find where the roads for passion and poise meet. In a quest to uncover a combination of the attributes, you will find Kara P. Simmons standing at the intersection–gracefully painting a picture of what hard work and a charitable spirit looks like. The North Charleston native has spent over a decade with her feet on the ground, looking to be the illustration of community change she envisioned as a young girl. As a child, Kara always challenged societal norms and questioned systems that disproportionately affected minority and marginalized communities.

Knowing that she had the ability to “be the change”, she landed at Columbia College in South Carolina as a Communication student. Earning her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and later her Master of Arts in Management and Leadership, Kara was ready to use the acquired knowledge to lead change in South Carolina’s nonprofit and government realm.

With a servant’s heart, Kara serves the community as a member of the Board of Commissioners with Columbia Housing, Vice Chair; The Talented Tenth SC Board of Directors, Past Chair; Junior League of Columbia; Member and Co-Founder of the No Boys Allowed College Tour which exposes high school girls of color to HBCUs. Kara has continually been recognized for her contributions to the community. She has been named one of the region’s ‘Best & Brightest 35 and Under’ by Columbia Business Monthly Magazine (2016), ‘Top 20 Under 40’ by The State Newspaper (2018), 2020 ‘Top 20 Under 40’ Black Pages SC and the Columbia Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Columbia Class of 2015.