John Simpson

John Simpson is a retired university professor and administrator. He presently lives in Port Ludlow with his spouse, Katherine Simpson. Dr. Simpson received his bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz and his advanced degrees from Northwestern University. He is a neuroendocrinologist, studying interactions between the endocrine and nervous systems particularly related to body fluid and cardiovascular homeostasis. After a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania, he served as a faculty member at the University of Washington (Psychology) and the UC San Francisco School of Medicine (Physiology). He also later was the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Washington, and subsequently the Provost at UC Santa Cruz and then President of the University at Buffalo, part of the State University of New York.

The Simpsons are avid boaters, cruising the Puget Sound and the Salish Sea and north in Canada. Simpson is a licensed captain. He is particularly interested in modern art and is an active woodworker. He has served on numerous public boards, including the University of Washington Foundation, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, and the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. In addition, he is part owner of SEAMarine in Port Townsend and the vice-chair of the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association Board of Directors.