SPEAKERS
2008 Shooting Sports Summit
The Premier Forum Exclusively
for Leaders of the Shooting Sports Industry
Jim Simms
 Jim Simms |
Jim Simms has been involved with the 4-H Shooting Sports Program since 1986, when he attended his first National 4-H Shooting Sports Workshop.
For 29 years, Jim worked as an employee of the West Virginia University Extension Service as a 4-H youth development agent in Harrison County, W. Va. Prior to that, he worked as a 4-H youth development agent in Mingo County, W. Va., and as a public school teacher. He graduated from Alderson Broaddus College in Philippi, W. Va., with a B.S. in physical education and received a M.S. in physical education from Marshall University in Hunting, W. Va. After retiring from West Virginia University, he spent two years working as the executive director of the Harrison County Solid Waste Authority.
In 1986, Jim attended his first National 4-H Shooting Sports Workshop and became involved in the 4-H Shooting Sports Program as part of the state training team. He spent the next eight years training volunteers to teach youths in the 4-H Shooting Sports Program. In 1994, he was asked to become a part of the National 4-H Shooting Sports training team. He then became the lead instructor in the pistol discipline for eight years, and then became the lead reloading instructor for three years. Jim was asked to be interim chair of the National 4-H Shooting Sport Committee for one year, and, in 2004 he became a co-chair of the committee. In 2005, he was named program coordinator for the National 4-H Shooting Sports Committee and served in that position until April 2008.
Jim has been leading a 4-H Shooting Sports club in Harrison County, W. Va., for the past eight years, where he helps introduce youths to rifle, pistol, archery, muzzleloading and shotgun shooting as well as hunting skills. He currently resides outside of Clarksburg, W. Va., on his 63-acre farm, where he raises Angus cattle. He enjoys hunting small game, whitetail deer and especially enjoys hunting wild turkey.