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Barney Simms began attending Antioch Baptist Church North in 1969 and joined our fellowship in 1971. Brother Simms is currently the Senior Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer for the Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta.
Brother Simms has established a remarkable record of volunteerism to Atlanta’s children and to the vitality of Atlanta neighborhoods covering more than three decades of service. Brother Simms currently serves as Chairman of the Board for several important Atlanta organizations that support the needs of children and families, including Chairman for the Fulton County Department of Family and Children Services, Chairman of the Board of the Atlanta Metropolitan College Foundation, Chairman of the Board for the Atlanta Victim Assistance, Inc., and Co-Chairman of the Board for the Walter and Andrew Young Family YMCA in Southwest Atlanta, and a member of the Boards of Trustees for Literacy Action, Inc., and the Antioch Urban Ministries, Inc.
Brother Simms is a highly regarded champion for the growth and vitality of Atlanta neighborhoods. He serves as the President of the BonnyBrook Neighborhood Association and Co-Chaired Mayor Shirley Franklin’s BeltLine Tax Allocation District Feasibility Study Steering Committee with Dr. Carl Patton, former President of Georgia State University. When completed, the BeltLine will convert underused rail corridors around the city core into a continuous system of transit and greenways surrounded by parks and pedestrian-friendly mixed use centers of development.
Brother Simms is a well respected and influential thought leader for civic engagements that promote community building and civic pride. He has been honored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board, and Concerned Black Clergy and of course by his Church Family and a variety of other civic organizations for his community service.
Brother Simms has been commended twice by the State of Georgia’s Secretary of State Office as an Outstanding Georgia Citizen. He is the recipient of the Phoenix Award from the City of Atlanta and has been cited as one of Atlanta’s most influential citizens in the past five editions of Who’s Who in Black Atlanta. Brother Simms has received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Outstanding Leadership and Community Service and he was honored as a Man of Influence by the Atlanta Business League.
Brother Simms has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Knoxville College (Tennessee) and a Master of Science Degree in Library Science from Clark Atlanta University (Georgia). He is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and the Academy for Community Leadership, Advancement and Innovation at North Carolina State University.
Mr. Simms is a trustee at the Antioch Baptist Church North and the father of two adult children and six grandchildren.
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Born to Bobby and Mary Ann Trimble on July 14, 1960 in Canton, Georgia; both parents migrated from Opelika, AL to Canton Ga. in search of job opportunities in the local textile mills. At a very early age in Jerome’s life and for reasons unknown, his father left the family which consisted of two boys and three girls. Without a father and in the hands of a single parent, the family persevered through those hard times under guidance from God, his mother, his grandmother, Aunts, Uncles and a host of supporters from the community . Jerome and his siblings were all baptized at Zion Baptist Church in Canton GA. He graduated from Cherokee H.S. in 1979; then attended DeVry Institute in Atlanta, GA and graduated in 1981.
Jerome started working for the NCR Corporation in 1981 as a Quality Assurance Technician; the facility was located in Peachtree City, GA some eighty miles from Canton, and after commuting for several months he moved to the south side of Fulton County to be closer to his job. In 1984, he became a Field Engineer and in 1996, he accepted a position in remote support as a Technical Support Specialist. In the year 2000 he accepted a position in Management, but that position was short lived because the company had decided to move his department Columbia, SC in 2001. NCR allowed him to stay in Georgia and work as a virtual employee for the next 9 years in the customer support department. Like so many others affected by this down turn in the economy laid offs came to his department and he was downsized. He is currently working as a computer consultant for B. J. Trimble and Associates; a company he started. In addition he is looking at opportunities for investing in real estate.
In 1982, he met Virginia Robinson who had just started working with NCR; after overcoming some boy friend obstacles they started dating in 1983. Jerome and Virginia were married on March 22, 1986 at Antioch Baptist Church North by Rev. C. M. Alexander. To this union two children were given Dennis J. Trimble, currently attending Morehouse College and Andrea J. Trimble currently attending Savannah State University.
Deacon Trimble joined Antioch Baptist Church in August 1983 under Christian experience; he started volunteering in the food bank ministry in the Family Life Center under Deacon Lem Bowie, Sis. Betty Harris and Mother Frances Miles; a valuable lesson was learned about the church’s role for taking care of the least, the less and the lost. He also joined the Male Chorus, the Psalms 150 Choir, Higher Ground, Sunday school, the July Birth Month Club and the Jr. Deacon’s Ministry. He is currently the Chairman of the Deacon’s Ministry, Chairman of the College Scholarship Advisory Board, Chairman of the Walton Management INC Board, a member of the Antioch Development Committee, the church’s budget committee and the Christian Education Ministry.
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