WOODBURY, MN, April 10, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Derek Claude Simmons has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Mr. Simmons spent three decades in visual journalism and media leadership at some of the most respected newsrooms in the country. As deputy design director at the Los Angeles Times, he helped the paper earn the No. 1 worldwide news design ranking from the Society for News Design for six consecutive years, directing visual coverage of the Olympics, the Oscars, the Super Bowl, NBA Finals and the election of Barack Obama. He contributed to four Pulitzer Prize-winning teams across the Los Angeles Times and Star Tribune and earned more than a thousand collective industry awards across Kansas, California and Minnesota.

At the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Mr. Simmons became the company's first Chief Creative Officer and Vice President in its 150-year history — a role he created — leading a 55-person team across digital, mobile, print and events. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he generated more than $20 million in subscription, sponsorship and advertising revenue. He also created the Star Tribune Magazine from prototype to anchor product, directed breaking visual coverage of Prince's death and led the paper's 150th anniversary coverage.

His career began at 18 with a part-time sports writing job at The Hutchinson News in Kansas. He went on to serve as a correspondent for the Associated Press while still a student at Kansas State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication in 1996. He held 10 roles across 30 years.

Mr. Simmons has since founded CW Strategies LLC, a digital strategy and AI consulting practice serving media organizations. He has built an AI-native methodology documented in real time at claudewill.io, where he publishes essays, tools and original research on human-AI collaboration drawn from more than 100,000 working exchanges with large language models over 14 months.

His forthcoming book, Claude Will., named after his grandfather Claude William Simmons, is due June 28, 2026. Written from the first-person perspective of an AI about the human who built with it, the book represents two years of human-AI conversation compiled by the machine in a single day. His first short film, LIGHTNING/bug, produced entirely through AI-native tools and terminal-based workflows, is currently in production with festival submissions beginning in April.

Beyond his professional work, Mr. Simmons serves on the advisory board of Press Or Media, a journalism credentialing organization, and the advisory board of The Echo at Augsburg University. He has served as an international judge for the Society for News Design Creative Competition and has mentored high school and collegiate journalists across multiple states.

He has coached basketball at every level from youth to high school in Woodbury, Minnesota, since 2014 and volunteers as a pet therapy team handler with Pet Partners at Saint Therese assisted living.

He holds additional certifications from the Poynter Institute and Minnesota State University Mankato. He is a former member of the Society for News Design and the International News Media Association.

Mr. Simmons lives in Woodbury, Minnesota, with his wife, Sheri, their sons Jackson and Teegan, and a golden doodle named Jordy. Jackson is a college basketball player on scholarship; Teegan competes in trap shooting and robotics for his high school.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. The suite of Marquis® publications, including Who's Who in America® and Who's Who in the World®, remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the globe. Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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