Jamal Simmons

Principal
The Raben Group

Jamal Simmons, a principal at the Raben Group, a Washington, DC public affairs firm, is one of the most experienced communications professionals of his generation and a regular presence on cable news as a political analyst. He has handled media issues on five continents for the U.S. government, political organizations, non-profits and corporations.

Simmons has been a senior aide to several Democratic candidates, handling long term strategic planning and day-to-day crisis management. He was a communications advisor to the Democratic National Committee during the 2008 campaign to elect Barack Obama president of the United States. He served as a communications aide to four presidential candidates including Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign.

Additionally, he has served in every political branch of government as chief of staff to a member of Congress, senior advisor to a U.S. Senator and a political appointee in the Clinton Administration under U.S. Trade Representative and Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor. Simmons has extensive international experience. Throughout the Clinton Administration, the White House called upon him to create and manage public events in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia and he is a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Raised in Detroit, Michigan, Simmons received his B.A degree from Morehouse College and his Master of Public Policy degree from the Kennedy School at Harvard University. His opinion writings have been published in major national news outlets including the New York Times and he is a regular writer for The Politico.