Dr. Kevin Simmons is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and a descendant of the Muckleshoot Tribe in Washington State. He is a scholar, educator, and researcher dedicated to strengthening Tribal families and communities through culturally grounded education, child welfare, and behavioral health initiatives.
Dr. Simmons earned his PhD in Special Education from the University of Oregon, where his research focused on Indigenous instructional practices and the cultural adaptation of evidence-based approaches. He currently serves as research faculty at the University of Oregon's Center on Human Development and has worked extensively with Tribal communities to strengthen professional learning, workforce development, and culturally responsive services.
He is the developer of Helping is Good Medicine (HIGM), an Indigenous-informed approach to Motivational Interviewing, and Native Perspectives on Special Education (NPSE), a framework that centers Indigenous knowledge systems and community relationships in special education. Across his work, Dr. Simmons advances the principle that culture is intervention, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous knowledge, relationships, belonging, and self-determination in creating meaningful and sustainable pathways to learning and well-being.
