E. Denise Simmons, a lifelong resident of Cambridge, is currently serving her eighth term on the Cambridge City Council, and her second term as Mayor of Cambridge. Denise has spent the past three decades working to better her community - first as the Executive Director of the Cambridge Civic Unity Committee in the 1980s, then as a member of the Cambridge School Committee in the 1990s, and since 2002, as a member of the Cambridge City Council.

During this current Council term, Denise is working to re-launch the Cambridge Girls Leadership Group, which she first established when she was mayor in 2008. This leadership group for 8th Grade girls from across Cambridge will offer monthly lessons on etiquette, proper study habits, and how to prepare for success in high school and beyond. She is also working on establishing a Cambridge Museum, and on spreading the word to community members about how to most effectively search for affordable housing.