A lifelong educator and national thought leader for teaching and learning, Dr. Felicia C. Smith brings decades of valuable experience to advance NCFL’s mission of working to eradicate poverty through education solutions for families.

Smith has led the organization in casting a bold new vision that helps to create equitable communities where children and families may thrive. NCFL is forging new partnerships in the field to accelerate family learning systems of support as a revolutionary idea for multigenerational learning and impact. This means children and parenting adults or caregivers will have greater access and opportunities to programmatic support for enhancing educational attainment and economic prosperity.

Smith’s career in education spans more than two decades where she has served in a variety of leadership roles in P-12, higher education, nonprofit, and philanthropy. Her unique vantage point of a learner’s educational trajectory, from preschool to adulthood, is a result of her experience in leading across multiple education systems. Prior to joining NCFL, Smith was the senior director of Global Delivery at the National Geographic Society, where she oversaw the domestic and global education strategy implementation and programming focused on transforming the classroom experience for millions of students and educators. Before this, Smith served as assistant superintendent of Teaching and Learning in the 27th largest urban district (Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville, Kentucky); as a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; as associate commissioner for the Kentucky Department of Education; and teacher leader. She began her career as a classroom teacher in the elementary grades and has taught as a preservice lecturer at the University of Kentucky.

Smith is driven by her commitment to equity and excellence for every learner. She has been a fierce advocate for teacher leadership programs, competency-based education, college and career readiness, policy transformation, and professional learning. Her non-traditional pathway to leadership has helped her maintain a focus on improving learning outcomes by ensuring effective classroom practices spread and scale across systems. She has advocated for transforming teacher preparation and in-service practices to promote the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for educators to effectively implement innovative practices addressing the needs of learners.

Smith has been recognized as an Aspen-Pahara education fellow and serves as a member of several national and local boards. Smith serves as Vice Chair of the Southern Regional Education Board, and in 2022, was appointed by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to chair the state’s Early Childhood Advisory Council. At the forefront of centering equity in education through inclusive programming, in 2021 she was selected to participate in The Equity Lab’s prestigious year-long Nexus Fellowship.

Smith holds an Ed.D. in Education Leadership and Administration from the University of Kentucky, an M.A. in elementary education with an emphasis on K-12 literacy, and a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Louisville.