Throughout his life, Kelvin Simmons has had ties to Swope Health in just about every way imaginable. From growing up down the road from Swope Health Central, to being a patient, to being employed by the organization, the co-founder and principal of the Nexus Group has spent both his youth and professional career affiliated with the health center.
The early days
Simmons’ childhood home was on 41st and Montgall Avenue. He graduated from Paseo High School, which is located approximately two miles from where Swope Health Central is located today.
“I have memories
before Swope Health even got there,” Kelvin Simmons said. “There’s an old
picture of Swope Community Builders that used to be the Spartans Retail Center,
and I knew of that place when I was growing up. The elders in the community who
remember that are starting to die off and there aren’t many people who can give
you a physical description of what it used to be before it was the Swope Health
campus, but I can.”
Simmons kicked off his
political career as a city councilman in 1997 and eventually relocated to
Jefferson City. There, he was a Missouri Public Service Chairman and
Commissioner before serving as the Director of Economic Development for the
State of Missouri. Simmons eventually found his way back to Kansas City after
accepting the role of Vice President of Development and Governmental Affairs at
Swope Health.
“I
came aboard in 2005 on the health side, and I did several things, from serving
in governmental affairs, to being a part of development, to acting as the
direct point of contact for media inquiries,” he said. “Ultimately, I rolled
into Swope Community Builders, becoming the President and CEO.”
Transition
from healthcare to development
Swope
Community Builders – an urban core development company now known as Community
Builders of Kansas City – was established in 1991 as a member of Swope
Community Enterprises, another umbrella organization of Swope Health. After one
year at Swope Health, Simons transitioned into the head leadership role at
Swope Community Builders.
“Going
to the Swope Community Builder side was really about community development”
Simmons said. “That was a part of Swope Health’s overall mission, which was
growing and ensuring that there was development in the area.”
From
2006 to 2008, Simmons made strides for Swope Community Builders. He considers
his biggest accomplishment to be putting Swope Health on the map after opening The
Shops on Blue Parkway, a major development includes a grocery store and retail
operations. His passion for the community was shown by the work he did.
“I
felt that I’m somewhat of a unicorn. being able to make that transition from
the healthcare organization over to the Community Builders’ side, but it’s a
continuation of who I am as a person,” he said. “Being someone from the
community who utilized the services, it felt right at home to be a part of the
high-level management of the organization.”
His
career after Swope Health
Eventually,
Simmons pursued another opportunity in 2009 when he was appointed by Governor
Jay Nixon as one of his first cabinet members. He was also the State of
Missouri Commissioner of Administration. In 2012, Simmons’ talents led him to
become a Principal at Dentons – the largest international law firm in the world
– which eventually led him to the Nexus Group, where he’s remained at since
2018.
“Conflicts
can be developed at an international law firm, and conflicts can stifle one’s
growth. At the time, we thought we needed to open our own firm, and our entire
public policy group in Missouri formed the Nexus Group,” he said. “It minimized
our conflicts and increased our ability to have greater revenues.”
Simmons’
time at Swope Health has influenced the last 17 years of his career, and he
still has ties to the organization that means so much to him. Through the Nexus
Group, Simmons works closely with Swope Health.
“The
opportunity at Swope Community Builders allowed me to branch out and do private
development, and I’m still doing that today. I group with Swope Health in
Jefferson City and in Kansas City, so it’s been a full circle moment. For all
practical purposes, I’m still working for Swope Health today,” Simmons said.
