Dr. Simpson has been a “Reading First” state trainer, and presented at state education conferences including the Kentucky Association of School Councils and the Kentucky Council for Teachers of English and Language Arts. She has participated in the Kentucky Leadership Network for Language Arts endeavor to incorporate literacy in all content areas since the inception of Senate Bill 1. In 2009, she was recognized by the Kentucky House of Representatives for her work in literacy in Kentucky. She has also been published in regional, national, and international journals on leadership, and literacy topics.