Sims began her career in 1999 as a classification and treatment officer at RCC's assessment center. She promoted to a corrections unit administrator I at Luther Luckett Correctional Complex (LLCC) in 2003 and a corrections unit administrator II at the Kentucky State Reformatory (KSR) in 2005. At KSR she supervised the prison's 130-bed segregation unit. In 2011, Sims was promoted to deputy warden of operations at KSR and supervised support services, including the medical department, mental health, food service, correctional industries, religious services and recreation. In 2012, she shifted to the role of deputy warden of security.

In 2013, Sims was named warden at RCC. While serving as warden she took on the additional responsibility of acting deputy commissioner of support services at Central Office in 2017. When the position was filled the following May, Sims agreed to serve as acting deputy commissioner for community services until that position was filled.

In 2019, Sims was named director of the Division of Education, providing oversight of educational operations in all prisons. She has spearheaded many new initiatives, including most recently working to bring more expansive post-secondary opportunities to four prisons.

Sims served on the Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT) at RCC and LLCC from 2002 to 2005. She was appointed to coordinate classification issues at Northpoint Training Center during the disturbance that occurred in August 2009.

A graduate of the University of Louisville, Sims earned bachelor's degrees in biology and psychology. In 2006, she graduated from the inaugural Commissioner's Executive Leadership Program. She is the recipient of the 2018 Warden of the Year award.