‘Super T’ Simpson named executive director of Front Porch Alliance
Front Porch Alliance now has a new leader
Decked in yellow-accented dark brown glasses, red tie and a crisp white shirt, long-time youth league coach Kenneth “Super T” Simpson has stepped into a new role as executive director of Front Porch Alliance.
The faith-based nonprofit networks with a host of ministries to address social needs. It awarded more than $200,000 in grants to 65 local agencies this summer for mentoring and job-training programs.
The Front Porch Alliance board members tapped Simpson to head the organization in August, the same month co-founder and former director Al Chapman died. Chapman led Front Porch Alliance since it started in 1999.
“Mr. Chapman left a great legacy, but there’s more work to be done and people are still plagued with all kind of problems. So we’re moving forward,” said Simpson.
“We want to be God’s hands and feet to help people move beyond their conditions,” said Simpson leaning back in his black swivel chair.
Simpson retired from coaching and from being Chattanooga Parks and Recreation’s program coordinator to lead Front Porch. The City Council and County Commission acknowledged Simpson’s more than 30 years of service in the department this month.
Instead of walking in Chapman’s footsteps, board chair Scott Maclellan encourages Simpson to be himself, find new ministries to work with and keep the foundation connected to the community.
“We’re trying to head him in the direction of staying on the street and keeping his ear to the ground because we want to know what’s going on in the city. What’s working. What’s not,”
said Maclellan.
As the new director, Simpson said he wants to provide more job training to people recently released from prison. And he’d also like to partner with Chattanooga State Community College and other agencies that could help people in job training go straight into work.
Simpson stood among four or five candidates considered for the job, said Maclellan. The board selected Simpson because Chapman mentored him from his youth, he knew all of the stakeholders with whom Front Porch Alliance worked and Simpson had operated his own nonprofit organization.
Simpson, the 50-yearold father of eight sons and one daughter always had a passion for children. He started working for Parks and Recreation in 1987 as a recreation manager. Simpson later managed centers in various areas.
He started flag and tackle youth league football teams with no financial support from the city. After years of funding the program through donations and out of pocket, he started his own non-profit, Reach One Youth Outreach in 2001.
Simpson eventually used sports as his platform to help youth combat social and economic problems. He cites several youth from his teams that went on to college or learned a trade.
“I had a vision to do
“I had a vision to do more. In my younger years it was all about winning. But about 10 years into it, I said I can’t talk about winning when kids are losing in the game of life.” KENNETH SIMPSON
more,” said Simpson. “In my younger years it was all about winning. But about 10 years into it, I said I can’t talk about winning when kids are losing in the game of life.”
Kim Patrick, a single mom who grew up in the now defunct Maurice Poss Homes, said she’s not sure what she would have done without Simpson. He worked with her son in football and her daughter who was a cheerleader with Simpson’s football team called the Cowboys. She said she especially appreciates the attention he gave her 22-year-old-son who started playing for Simpson at age 4. Her son is now a senior at Middle Tennessee State studying sports medicine.
“When I called him he was right there,” said Patrick referring to times when she sought Simpson’s help when her son got in trouble.
He became the Parks and Recreation program coordinator, and wanted to be an administrator, but he wasn’t selected.
When he asked why, he heard that though he was talented and he had been with the department for 30 years, he had no degree.
Then came a friend who offered to pay all expenses for Simpson to attend college so that the next time an administrative position became available, Simpson would qualify. In September 2016, First Missionary Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Ala., named Simpson as its church pastor.
Simpson has completed his course work and plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business management from Belhaven University in December, he said.
While he studied, the executive director position for Front Porch Alliance became available and it was a better fit for him than being city administrator. Being a city administrator would have limited how much he could share his faith.
Simpson, who grew up in the defunct Maurice Poss Homes, said it was his faith that motivated him to be successful.
He marked the oneyear anniversary as pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Ala. in September.
“By me being here, the doors are open to just about what I really wanted to do. Work with the schools, work with the community, but we’re still doing sports, we’re doing job training. So we’re doing a variety of programs and then we’re still offering Christ.”
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@ timesfreepress.com or 423757-6431.