She served as assistant state’s attorney for four years and was a staff attorney at Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance for five years. Before joining the faculty, Simon developed and supervised the SIU School of Law’s Domestic Violence Clinic. Simon has served on a panel to screen federal judge applicants, has been a member of the board of directors of the Carbondale Women’s Center and a pro bono attorney for the Association for Late Deafened Adults, serves on the Carbondale City Council, and is a member of the rock band Loose Gravel. She and her husband, Perry Knop, have two daughters, Reilly and Brennan. She graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1987, and from Wittenberg University in 1983.