John L.S. Simpkins

President of MDC

Former Vice President of the Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network and Former General Counsel for the US Agency for International Development

Mr. Simpkins is President of MDC, a Durham-based nonprofit that equips Southern leaders, institutions, and communities to improve economic mobility and advance equity. He was formerly Vice President of the Aspen Global Leadership Network of the Aspen Institute, and former General Counsel for the U.S. Agency for International Development and was Deputy General Counsel for the White House Office of Management & Budget.  He was an attorney with Wyche PA, a Liberty Fellow in South Carolina, and taught at the Charleston School of Law.  Mr. Simpkins received his law degree and LLM in international and comparative law from Duke and has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College.  He is also Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke Law School.

•  Durham, NC