Gregory Simpson began serving as the College of Arts and Sciences dean in July. He was interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas prior to joining Illinois State. In that role he oversaw 58 departments and programs in five divisions, with a budget of $100 million.

Simpson received his doctorate in experimental psychology from the University of Kansas. He has served as an acting associate dean, chair of psychology, and a professor at the University of Kansas. Prior to his tenure at Kansas, Simpson was a faculty member at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

He received the W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching and a Senior Administrative Fellow from the University of Kansas. He served on the Journal of Memory and Language and Memory and Cognition editorial boards, as well as reviewer of numerous grants, journals, and programs.

Simpson is a member of the Association for Psychological Science, Psychonomic Society, and Midwestern Psychological Association. He served as an executive board member for the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology, and has presented internationally.