Ken Simpler was elected Delaware State Treasurer on November 4, 2014 on a platform to bring transparency, accountability, and certainty to our State’s fiscal operations. He has fostered accountability in the Treasurer’s Office by implementing a value-driven and performance–measured culture. His focus on certainty has made him a consistent advocate for systemic solutions to large-scale, long-term problems. Ken has applied lessons from his 20-year career as a finance professional to improve some of Delaware’s core fiscal functions. These include: enhancing the return on investment of our $2 billion cash portfolio; restructuring the banking services through which our $10 billion in annual spending flows; ensuring the feasibility of our $2 billion of outstanding debt; and overhauling the State Employees’ $1 billion defined contribution plans. In addition, Ken has provided leadership to over a dozen committees and councils that determine state revenues, design employee healthcare offerings, preserve agricultural lands and provide capital spending for fire companies.

Prior to entering public service, Mr. Simpler served as the Chief Financial Officer of Delaware-based Seaboard Hotels. As an owner-operator, Ken assisted in developing and managing hotel and retail properties in Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Nags Head, North Carolina. Ken previously held the position of Managing Director at Citadel, LLC, a $25 billion global investment fund. At Citadel, he oversaw a billion dollar portfolio, managed personnel in Chicago, San Francisco, New York/Greenwich, London and Tokyo and served on the firm’s worldwide investment committee. He began his career as a corporate attorney at Kirkland & Ellis, a national law firm. Ken’s work at K&E focused on private acquisitions and capital raising transactions for corporate and private equity clients. Ken has served on the board of directors of Draper Holdings, the parent company of WBOC and Fox 21, and the finance committee of Beebe Healthcare.

Ken is a life-long learner with a passion for applying empirical research to real-world applications. He is currently enrolled at the University of Delaware’s School of Public Policy where he plans to graduate with a Masters in Public Administration. Mr. Simpler earned graduate degrees from the University of Chicago in both business and law. He received an M.B.A. with honors from the Graduate School of Business and a J.D. with honors from the Law School. He obtained his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University as a political economy major. Ken attended high school at St. Andrew’s in Middletown, graduating summa cum laude and representing the school in Delaware’s 30th Annual Blue-Gold All-Star Football Game. Ken married his college sweetheart, Elizabeth, more than 25 years ago. Liz and Ken are devoted parents to their three children, Blakeley, Gillian and Emmett, and make their home in Newark. He was born and raised in Rehoboth Beach, where his family owned and operated the Avenue Restaurant for almost a half of a century.