Rotary District 5150 is proud to announce that Cyndy Simms, a longtime educator, community leader, and dedicated Rotarian of more than 35 years, has been selected to serve as District Governor for the 2028–2029 Rotary year.
Cyndy brings to this role a distinguished career in public education and a lifelong commitment to service. A veteran school administrator, she has served as Superintendent in multiple communities across the country, including Placerville Union School District, Steamboat Springs School District in Colorado, Mercer Island School District in Washington, Walnut Valley Unified School District in Southern California, and, most recently, the San Mateo–Foster City School District. Throughout her career, Cyndy led major capital improvements, championed community engagement, and secured critical funding for expanding and modernizing schools. Her leadership helped pass multi-million-dollar bonds, implement innovative instructional initiatives, and improve educational opportunities for thousands of students.
Cyndy holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Bethany College (WV), a master’s degree in special education from the University of Virginia, and both a master’s in public administration and a doctorate in school administration from the University of Denver. She began her career as a first-grade teacher and has devoted her professional life to helping children and educators thrive.
A Rotarian since 1987—the first year women were permitted to join Rotary in the United States—Cyndy was sponsored into the Rotary Club of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where she became the club’s first female member. Over the decades that followed, she went on to join five Rotary clubs in four states: Steamboat Springs (CO), Placerville (CA), Mercer Island (WA), Walnut Valley (CA), and her current club, Foster City. She has served as Club President several times and has been deeply involved in local and international service initiatives.
Cyndy’s Rotary service spans a wide range of hands-on and humanitarian work. She and her daughter traveled to India to administer polio vaccines as part of Rotary’s global effort to end polio. She has participated in water purification and sanitation projects in Cuba and Uganda, distributed eyeglasses and essential health supplies, and supported programs that benefit girls’ education. Locally, she has helped lead community projects including installing playgrounds for Yurok Nation children in Klamath, maintaining Foster City’s iconic rose gardens, supporting Second Harvest Food Bank, and engaging Interact students in meaningful service.
Her Rotary journey continues to be driven by a simple but powerful belief: “Peace through Service.” As Cyndy often shares, “I am only one person, but together with hundreds of thousands of Rotarians, service in our local and international communities ensures a more peaceful world.”
District 5150 is honored to welcome Cyndy to the District Governor track. Her depth of experience, collaborative leadership style, and passion for Rotary’s mission will be invaluable as she supports clubs throughout Marin, San Francisco, and the Peninsula in the 2028–2029 year.
Please join us in congratulating Cyndy Simms, District Governor Nominee Designate, and in celebrating the incredible service and leadership she brings to our district and the Rotary world.