By Dave Schlenker
When University of Florida Professor Denise R. Simmons, Ph.D., learned she had been accepted recently as a fellow with the American Society of Civil Engineers, she immediately paused for a quiet moment of gratitude.
“I thought about the women in my family who taught me to lead with integrity, stay confident and really listen, and then I smiled at the arc from those childhood lessons to this professional recognition. Very quickly that gratitude turned into resolve: What new doors can this open for the next generation of engineers, especially those who still feel unseen?”
Denise R. Simmons, Ph.D.
Simmons is the associate dean for workforce development with UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and a professor in the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment. Her passion is workforce development.