ROBERT SIMPSON
Head of Finance
Robert currently serves as the Treasurer for The Washington Tattoo, providing both financial and logistical guidance and support. He has nearly 4 decades of experience as a performing musician, both across the United States and abroad. Robert is a retired Army Senior Non-Commissioned Officer, having served his entire 23 years as a member of The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.
As a member of The Old Guard, Robert served in various roles and levels of leadership, to include both Drum Section Leader and Drum Group Leader. He has performed for numerous Heads of State at the White House, to include the official Department of State Arrival ceremonies for Queen Margarethe II of Denmark, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany, and Pope Benedict XVI. Other notable performances with The Old Guard include Inaugural Parades for Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and several international Tattoos and events in the United States and Europe. During his time as Drum Group Leader, the drum line presented clinics at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in 2007 and 2010, as well as at various universities and music conservatories. Robert has performed with and instructed several musical organizations in both the United States and Europe and has also performed as a member of the world famous Top Secret Drum Corps at the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo’s Salute to Australia in 2005.
Robert earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Management (Political Science) from the University of Mary Washington and a Master’s of Business Administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He currently lives in the Austin, Texas area with his wife, Anette, and their family.