After 30 years of work with the Georgia Tech Cooperative Education Program, Harold Simmons has retired from the Division of Professional Practice.

“It has been an honor working with Tech’s distinguished faculty and administration, thousands of dedicated co-op students and hundreds of our faithful employers and alumni,” Simmons said. “I will miss them all.”

After earning his bachelor’s in industrial management from Tech in 1965, Simmons served as commander and unrestricted line officer for the U.S. Naval Reserve, as well as several years as a standards engineer and foreman for the textile industry in his hometown, Sylacauga, Ala.

In 1977, Simmons returned to Tech to begin working as assistant registrar for registration and records and later accepted a position in the Cooperative Division. In the co-op program, Simmons started as assistant director and coordinator and worked his way up to director, a position that Simmons has held for eight years.

He plans to start his retirement by taking a long “sabbatical” to rest, enjoy his grandchildren, to read and to play golf.

“Then, I’ll work on some new challenges in consulting, recruiting or real estate,” Simmons added.