Empowering Lives
Through Faith

Bishop Michelle Anne Simmons, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized faith leader, advocate, author, and humanitarian whose life and work center on restoring dignity, opportunity, and hope to justice-impacted women. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Why Not Prosper, Inc., a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping women transition successfully from incarceration back into their communities.

A formerly incarcerated woman, Bishop Simmons draws deeply from lived experience to inform her leadership. After overcoming abuse, substance use, and legal challenges in her early life, she found hope through faith, recovery, and education. She has remained sober since 1999 and has since devoted more than two decades to service, advocacy, and ministry for marginalized and disenfranchised populations.

Bishop Simmons holds a Doctor of Ministry, a Master’s degree in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Chestnut Hill College. She is a Certified Allied Addictions Practitioner and a Board-Certified Human Services Practitioner. In September 2025, she was consecrated as a Bishop, advancing from her previous role as Reverend.

Founded in 2001, Why Not Prosper, Inc. was born from Bishop Simmons’ belief in providing women with a “hand up, not a handout.” The organization has supported hundreds of women returning from prison by offering mentoring, leadership development, advocacy training, and reentry services. Programs include pre-release mentoring within state correctional institutions, domestic violence education, leadership and advocacy training, graphic arts career development, and women’s advocacy initiatives. She also co-developed the Breaking the Cycle Re-Entry Program, a collaborative initiative addressing the needs of women exiting human trafficking and incarceration.

Beyond reentry work, Bishop Simmons has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to global humanitarian service. She has personally financed and led mission and outreach trips to countries including Haiti, Gambia, Jamaica, Bermuda, Nova Scotia, Santo Domingo, Egypt, and Thailand, providing food, clothing, medical supplies, educational materials, and spiritual support to underserved communities.

Her innovative community outreach initiatives include the Rolling Engagement Van (REV Van), launched in 2023, which brings food, clothing, referrals, and critical resources directly to vulnerable neighborhoods in Philadelphia. In 2024, she founded the Formerly Incarcerated Renaissance Museum (The F.I.R.M.), the first museum in the United States created by and dedicated to formerly incarcerated individuals. The museum amplifies silenced narratives, centers justice-impacted women, and uses art, education, and storytelling to foster empathy and systemic change.

Bishop Simmons is also the founder of the Ghana Collective, an international association of pastors committed to collaborative mission work, leadership development, and humanitarian outreach in under-resourced communities across borders.

Highly engaged in civic leadership, Bishop Simmons serves on numerous advisory boards and coalitions focused on criminal justice reform, public health, reentry services, and community development. Her leadership has been recognized with multiple awards for advocacy, humanitarianism, and service.

She is the author of five books, including Why Not Prosper? The Decision Is Yours, Keep It Movin’, and Why Not Prosper House, as well as the Journey Into Self Workbook and a spiritual crossword puzzle book. She is also the founder of Inspire Magazine, a publication focused on social justice, community connection, and empowerment.

In 2015, Bishop Simmons received a full and unconditional pardon, a rare recognition granted to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary rehabilitation and public service.

Through faith, resilience, and unwavering commitment, Bishop Michelle Anne Simmons continues to be a powerful voice for transformation—proving that purpose can rise from adversity and that restoration is possible for individuals and communities alike.