Meet the Keynote Speaker - Assemblywoman Heather Simmons

Assemblywoman Heather Simmons is serving her first term in the New Jersey General Assembly, where she is focused on making the state more affordable, expanding access to quality healthcare, and strengthening economic opportunities for small businesses and working families. She has championed key affordability measures, starting with a bill to freeze nonessential state spending, along with legislation to control electricity rate increases and reduce car insurance costs.

A leader in healthcare policy, Assemblywoman Simmons is spearheading the nation’s first comprehensive legislative package on perimenopause and menopause, ensuring insurance coverage and physician education on this critical health issue. She is also focused on expanding access to life-saving medical care, particularly for patients in need of organ transplantation and improved cardiac care.

Her commitment to small businesses includes championing a retail theft prevention bill—to be signed into law in April—and securing small business interruption grants to help local merchants recover from unexpected disruptions.

Beyond legislation, Assemblywoman Simmons is committed to delivering real results for residents. Her district office has assisted more than 2,000 constituents with casework, hosted senior resource fairs, and provided guidance on property tax reduction programs. She is also a strong advocate for expanding job opportunities, spearheading an employment initiative for disabled students from the Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) Adult Center for Transition program. Through this effort, four students have gained meaningful employment in her office.

Prior to serving in the Legislature, Assemblywoman Simmons served four terms as a Gloucester County Commissioner, making her the longest-serving female Commissioner in county history and the first woman to be elected Deputy Director of the Board of Commissioners. As a Commissioner, she developed a proven record of fiscal responsibility, initiating a three-year freeze in government spending, reducing the tax rate, and attracting substantial new business investments that created thousands of local jobs. A staunch advocate for small businesses, she launched the 70-member Gloucester County Economic Recovery Collaborative in 2021 to support post-pandemic economic recovery and resiliency. She also spearheaded the county’s first small business revolving loan fund, providing $15 million in low-interest loans to more than 200 businesses.

With 34 years of experience in public education, Assemblywoman Simmons serves as Vice President for Workforce Development and Career and Technical Education at Rowan College of South Jersey. She previously served as Assistant Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Rowan University and, prior to that, owned her own communications firm.

A resident of Gloucester County since 1994, Assemblywoman Simmons earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and politics from Saint Joseph’s University, where she was the valedictorian of her class. She furthered her education with a master’s degree in public relations from Rowan University.

Assembly Committees

• Commerce, Economic Development & Agriculture
• Higher Education
• Science, Innovation & Technology