One of the founding members of the Waterfront Parks Foundation, Tami Simms is a woman whose name is known throughout St. Petersburg for her many civic contributions. 

Municipal, non-profit and professional organizations have benefited from over two decades of Tami’s non-profit board experience. In addition to WPF, where she serves on the Executive Board as Treasurer, Tami currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Saturday Morning Market as President; she is a Board Member and Immediate Past President of the St. Petersburg Downtown Business Association and serves on the Board of Directors for the Business & Professional Women/Florida (BPW/FL), also having served as Past State President. In addition, she serves as President of the Education Foundation of BPW/FL, as Parliamentarian for the BPW/St. Petersburg-Pinellas, and she’s also on the Eckerd College 2022 Reunion Committee. 

Tami’s engagement in the City of St. Petersburg began in her early 20s. In 1992, she was part of the reopening management team for the then-shuttered Vinoy Hotel. Over the years, she has volunteered for the City on numerous occasions through board and task force service, including the Waterfront Master Plan Task Force and she recently served on the 2021 Charter Review Commission. 

Since 1986

A resident of St. Petersburg since 1986, Tami is a graduate of St. Petersburg High School and Eckerd College. Currently, she resides in the Magnolia Heights neighborhood and works as a residential REALTOR® with Coastal Properties Group / Christie’s International Real Estate, where she teams with her mother, Sharon Simms. Tami is also the Lead Trainer and Community Manager for The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing based in Dallas, TX, and is a frequent industry speaker nationwide.

As a WPF Executive Board Member and Treasurer since its inception in 2012, Tami remembers the early days fondly: “When the idea of creating the Downtown Waterfront Parks Foundation was presented in 2012, I was honored to be invited to participate in the Formation Committee, and to become a member of the inaugural Board of Directors. I was glad to bring a skill set specific to governance and non-profit board structure in creating such an important organization to protect one of our community’s greatest treasures.”

As you can see, WPF is fortunate to have Tami lending her expertise to our Executive Board!