Lunch With Chris Simmons

Among many topics, Chris will talk about his journey "from Deal Guy to Inclusion Change Agent."

April 21, 2026, 1:00 pm Eastern time

We'll meet via Zoom. Bring your questions and a sandwich!

A graduate of the College and the Business School, Chris Simmons, first Black partner elected to the Governing Board of PwC, has written an Amazon #1 Best Seller in the Business Diversity/Inclusion category: Nobody Told You: What Blacks, Asians, and Latinos Must Know to Win at Work ... with tips for white males, white women and LGBTQ. His MBA prof said he knows how to “play the game” better than anyone. Chris is known for his willingness to say what others won’t, and for turning Currier House into “Black Mecca.”

Chris joined IBM after ignoring the recruiter. After B-School he joined Bankers Trust, making VP after receiving a rejection letter. In 1992, he joined PwC in an investment banking practice. In 2001, Chris became Head, PwC headquarters’ Mergers/Acquisitions group, after the CEO begged him not to leave. In 2004, he became Chief Diversity Officer and won every major diversity award, pioneering LGBTQ, women’s leadership, “white guy only,” black “boot camps,” and Asian initiatives. Named Managing Partner for the DC/VA/MD region in 2007, leading 3,000 employees/partners, Chris was elected to the Board in a national contest and chaired the Partner Admissions Committee.

Since leaving PwC, Chris has been delivering music-laden inspirational speeches, coaching leaders, and traveling the country equipping minorities and women with the tactics to rise in an increasingly hostile world.

Divorced from a wonderful classmate, Chris has three sons—great people, and graduates of Harvard, Cornell, and West Point.

The moment he most savors was when one of his sons told PwC Colleagues at the retirement party, “We never understood how our Dad became a big shot at your firm, because every time we looked up, he was somewhere with us.”

Chris enjoys music—country, blues, R&B, pop, gospel—and salsa dancing. His greatest Harvard regret: not getting to know more classmates deeply.

CA79's Lunch With series allows us to learn more about a classmate we might know a little—or not at all.

Questions about our programs? Write to us at classacthr79@gmail.com.