Felicia Smith

As an African American female, I’ve had firsthand experiences representing the issues and challenges of long-held policies, practices, or behaviors affiliated with institutional racism. I can count the number of African American females in education leadership on one hand in my home state (KY), which means my network of individuals who have shared experiences is limited to none. Learning how to navigate, and lead in such contexts has been my life’s journey. Over two decades, I’ve worked to transform systems toward equity and excellence in order to disrupt racial inequities for students, especially for youth who look like me.

Felicia Smith is President and CEO for National Center for Families Learning.