Feb 9, 2021 | Features by TRACY ZOLLINGER TURNER
Doris Sims has seen the country “go through hills and valleys” when it comes to race. “A lot especially within this past year has happened within our country with dealing with racial inequality, and dealing with issues of equity and diversity,” she says. For some, she believes, this time has introduced new awareness. “What I’m hoping is that we don’t lose the momentum that we’ve gained. It’s easy to stick a sign in your yard and say, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ it’s another thing to make sure the actions that you take show that Black lives matter to you.”
December 11, 2020
(BLOOMINGTON) – Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton announces the retirement of City of Bloomington Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) Doris Sims on January 29, 2021.
City of Bloomington Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) Doris Sims
Having begun her service at the City in 1979, Sims has directed the City’s Human Resources (HR) Department as well as HAND, where she is responsible for providing leadership in the management of a $ 2.4 million annual budget in federal and local funds and oversees a staff of 16 employees.
As two-term director of HAND (1996-2003 and 2016-current), Sims has provided management oversight of the City’s residential rental inspection program, collaborated with community stakeholders in the development of affordable housing, and ensured code compliance to promote neighborhood preservation. In 1998, Sims created the Citizens’ Academy program as a way of sharing information ab