Meet the Director

Tom Simplot has been in leadership positions in the private sector and in local, state, and federal levels of government. Most recently, Simplot served as senior deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC. He was also a longtime member of the Phoenix City Council and served as president and CEO of the Arizona Multihousing Association, a statewide trade association for the apartment industry in Arizona. 

In his role at the National Endowment, Tom served as chief operations officer of a federal grant-making agency with over 150 employees and a budget of more than $160 million. Simplot oversaw all grant-making programs, including Creative Forces, a healing arts network in partnership with the Department of Defense. While on the Phoenix City Council, Simplot focused on housing, arts, and economic development, and led the effort to establish the first new-build permanent supportive housing apartment community in the City of Phoenix.

Simplot was a resident of Arizona for 35 years prior to moving to Washington and was very active in the community, serving on the boards of the Valley of the Sun United Way, Valle del Sol, Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and Phoenix Theatre. He also served as president of the Maricopa County Board of Health and the Maricopa County Industrial Development Authority.