Lori Simmons was a one-time military brat who became a military spouse for a time. As her marketing career took off, the military kept bringing her back, even when she thought that chapter was closed.
Her story is one of deep faith, leaning into purpose, an enormous devotion to those who serve, and a heart for building community.
“My dad served in the Army National Guard from about 1957 to 1965,” Simmons shared. “He was able to get out before the Vietnam War really got bad, by the grace of God. I’m not sure what my life would have been like had he gone. I probably wouldn’t have the siblings I do.”
Simmons grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas. In 1984, she started working for Armed Forces Insurance and began her marketing career. When she met her former husband, he was an MP at Fort Leavenworth and worked as a prison guard.
Though she was surrounded by the military, she was busy working and didn’t have any spouse friends. As she put it, her life went on as normal. Until the PCS orders for Fort Knox in Kentucky came.
“I was hugely naive and didn’t know what to expect. It seemed like an adventure,” she laughed. “Blind, totally blind. But not scared or anxious or anything. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know.”
Simmons secured an advertising manager job for a health-care company and eventually became a business developer for TRW, now part of Northrop Grumman.
“I had the privilege of learning a lot from both active-duty military and retired and former military. They kind of took me under their wing and treated me like I was their niece or sister or something and kind of showed me the ropes and helped me mature professionally, really from a relationship perspective,” she explained.
“I got to participate in a presentation to the State Department for a contract to train the Bosnian Army. It was very interesting, and I’m a huge history buff. I was like a sponge.”
In 1997, she and her family moved back to Kansas, and her marriage ended.
“At the end of the day, you’re always looking for your next meal in the contracting world, and it was scary to me because I was single again and I just didn’t like the unknown,” Simmons said.
From there, she took a series of marketing jobs that allowed her to use her skills and thrive. In the meantime, she found love again and married.
“Rob had bought a landscaping and nursery business. I have always loved being outside and growing, so I dove into that with him for a while,” Simmons said.
After a few years, she was ready to do something different. When an entry-level position opened at Armed Forces Insurance, she took it.
“I started out managing our website but eventually transitioned back into marketing management,” Simmons added.
In 2008, she received an invitation from Chris Hale, the CEO of Military Spouse Magazine. They were hosting the inaugural Military Spouse of the Year Awards.
Simmons recalls being wowed sitting in the Ronald Reagan room and excited to see someone finally recognizing spouses. She couldn’t help but think of her sister.
Shortly after her younger sister married, her husband enlisted. Simmons watched her raise children and struggle, moving all over the globe as her brother-in-law served America for nearly 30 years.
“I became her mentor to kind of help her through some of the struggles and hard times that she was going through as a military spouse,” she said.
By 2010, Armed Forces Insurance was the title sponsor of the awards. A few years later, the sponsorship became so much more.
“That’s when I really started to get more involved, and then I started forging relationships with the branch winners and the overall winners. I started to get personally connected,” Simmons said.
“I just really started to feel like God put me there to do something. I wasn’t sure what it was at that point, other than to continue supporting the military community.”
She shared a story of when everything “clicked.” Brittany Boccher won as the overall military spouse in 2017. When she told her she’d never had anyone believe in her like that, Simmons recalled feeling her legs were taken out from under her.
“It hit me like a brick. That was when I understood why God put me in that position, and then I felt like I had purpose in a way that I didn’t realize,” she added.
As the title sponsor, she made a meaningful impact, but Simmons was intent on turning the award into a true program devoted to uplifting military spouses. In 2018, Armed Forces Insurance purchased the award and took control.
With Simmons’ support, spouses have fulfilled dreams and made a mark. Some have flown with secretaries into war zones, written best-selling books, or led the charge for military family policy.
Businesses have been built, jobs have turned into careers, legislation written, and lives irrevocably changed since that first awards ceremony.
Recently, the program became a nonprofit: the National Military Community Foundation. Proceeds have continued to support the award, the spouses it honors, and given back in a number of ways, from funding food pantries to combat hunger to scholarships.
Simmons is committed to ensuring the award is only the start.
“I feel a responsibility, like I have to be there for them. They’re counting on me, and I’m not going to let them down,” she said.
In a world that often overlooks the people holding the homefront together, she has spent years building a space where they are seen, celebrated, and connected not for just a day, but for a lifetime.
The award may bring military spouses to the room. The community that Simmons has built is why they stay.
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