Chairman Simmons Returns to UC Berkeley; Full Circle Moment at Texas Southern University

Brandon L. Simmons, Chairman of the Texas Southern University Board of Regents, recently returned to his alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley (“Cal”), for a historic weekend that blended education, leadership, and competition. Texas Southern University traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area for its first-ever matchup against the Golden Bears on Saturday, at California Memorial Stadium—a game that also marked the first time Cal has faced an HBCU opponent since 2015.

For Simmons, a 2004 UC Berkeley graduate, the visit represented a full-circle moment—tracing a path from the classrooms of Berkeley to a career in law, technology, and venture capital, and now to leading a premier public HBCU recognized for advancing excellence in academics, research, and student success. Simmons embodies the intersection of academic achievement, entrepreneurship, and public service.

The weekend extended beyond the football field. Student leaders visited the Apple and Google campuses, explored career and entrepreneurship opportunities, participated in a fireside chat between President James W. Crawford III and Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons, and enjoyed a performance by Texas Southern’s iconic Ocean of Soul marching band.

“The big story of this experience was seeing our TSU students at home on the Berkeley campus and Apple’s headquarters. This trip is about our students coming to the center of the world economy, being exposed to career opportunities in growing sectors, and learning that they belong here,” said Simmons. 

Brandon Simmons Returns to Berkeley

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A Journey of Leadership and Impact

Simmons’ path has been defined by a unique blend of academic excellence, entrepreneurial drive, and public service. After earning his undergraduate degree, he was awarded the prestigious John W. Gardner Fellowship, a joint honor of Stanford and Berkeley recognizing students committed to public service leadership. Simmons next attended Stanford Law School, where he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence. Following law school, he served as a law clerk for Chief Judge J.L. Edmondson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and later joined Hogan Lovells, a global law firm, advising emerging tech companies and venture investors on high-stakes deals and corporate governance.

Simmons next dove deeper into Silicon Valley and brought his leadership to executive and board roles in venture capital, aerospace, energy, and AI-focused companies. Alongside his entrepreneurial pursuits, Simmons has long been committed to education and workforce development, founding a nonprofit to educate students and young professionals about private sector opportunities, and serving as Entrepreneur in Residence at Wiley University. Deepening his commitment to higher education and HBCU students, Simmons was recently appointed Distinguished Professor of Business at Wiley University, focusing on business, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. Simmons continues to serve on multiple corporate and nonprofit boards, in addition to his role leading the Texas Sothern University Board of Regents, where his recent leadership milestones include leading the hiring of Crawford, the first global leader to serve as Texas Southern University’s President; guiding the most successful legislative session in the university’s recorded history; and setting the conditions for Texas Southern’s endowment to surpass $100M.

Simmons’ return to Berkeley underscores a historic moment for Texas Southern, highlighting the university’s rising national profile as a center of student achievement, leadership, and innovation, and affirming the power of vision and mentorship in shaping opportunities for the next generation.