 Simpson attended Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at SUNY Binghamton and earned a degree in philosophy.Upon graduation, Simpson began working as a reporter for The Sun Bulletin, which was later acquired by Gannett Company, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, where he worked for the next 30 years as a reporter and editor.After working at the Gannett-owned "Ithaca Journal" and "Pacific Daily News" on Guam, Simpson eventually became the deputy editor of "USA Today".