John M Simms

As President and CEO of Odell, Simms & Lynch, Inc. (OSL), John Simms oversees operations and guides implementation of the firm’s vision, mission, and overall direction. During his 23 year tenure, Mr. Simms directed the firm’s expansion from one to three divisions deploying the firm’s core capabilities and relationships on behalf iconic American charitable projects and economic development agencies seeking foreign direct investment. John is also the founder and President of CMDI, a CRM software and information management company for non-profits which rely on traditional and electronic direct marketing and person-to-person fundraising. In recent years, CMDI’s SaaS systems and secure online payment product processed over $2 billion and more than 12.5 million gifts. His other entrepreneurial interests include a major investment and board membership of Audience Partners, an online ad firm with patented targeting capability. John is a principal in Gulfport Highlands Development, LLC, a post-Katrina mixed-use development near his hometown on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He also holds patents solving issues with the “last mile” of delivery of e-commerce to the home. John’s entrepreneurial, business-minded approach is evident in the results oriented culture of OSL. His wide ranging relationships and networks of political leaders, corporate executives, and decision makers in the public and private sectors are reflected in our work on behalf of our clients. John is a graduate of the Emory University School of Law and holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University where he was Speaker of the Yale Political Union and a Whiffenpoof. After college and law school he was immersed in politics for a time as Executive Director of a State Party Committee and manager of a Gubernatorial campaign of his home state of Mississippi. He is a member of the Mississippi, Georgia, District of Columbia, and American Bar Associations.