Desiraé Simmons currently serves as the ward 3 representative of the Ypsilanti City Council and is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice. She attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts during high school and then later Simmons College in Boston where she earned a BA in Public Relations and Marketing Communications with minors in Psychology and Art, as well as a MS in Communications Management. In university she worked at an early childhood education nonprofit, Jumpstart for Young Children, and later became the Director of Undergraduate Community Service and Service-Learning with the Scott/Ross Center at Simmons College. As a child, she grew up in and around the cities of Chicago, Illinois and Cleveland, Ohio. Desiraé originally moved to Ypsilanti in 2014 to pursue a job in community-engaged learning development in higher education at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. She is a highly devoted gardener around both her home and her local community in Ypsi, working to create a more sustainable future for the city. She loves the arts; writing poetry; fitness; cultural shift work; and card, board, and interactive games. Gardening has kindled her interest in foraging, medicinal herbs, and food preservation. She strongly values climate justice and democratic practices. Some additional fun facts about Dez is that she is a fantastic dancer (which makes her an excellent wedding guest!), does not drive, and only has eight more states in the USA to visit as of 2025.
