Rosa A. Smith is the regional education director for New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS). In this role, she supports the mission to ensure high academic achievement for every student by attracting and preparing outstanding leaders and supporting the performance of the urban public schools they lead.

Prior to joining the NLNS team, Dr. Smith was president and chief executive officer of the Schott Foundation for Public Education for six years. There she worked with others to develop and strengthen the movement for equity and excellence in public pre-K–12 education. She is a national leader noted for her courageous efforts to expose and address the plight, challenges, and opportunities available to change the education trajectory of black male students.

Prior to joining Schott Foundation, she served as a school superintendent in Columbus, Ohio and Beloit, Wisconsin. She also served as assistant superintendent, high school principal, and teacher in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota and South Bend, Indiana.

Dr. Smith has earned numerous awards, including the Wisconsin Superintendent of the Year, the Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award, the Spurgeon Award, the YWCA Outstanding Achievement Award, the NAACP Service Award, the Urban League Living Legend Award, the HOSTS Champion for Children Award, and the Fred Rogers Leadership Award in Philanthropy. Along with her current civic and professional leadership roles, Dr. Smith has made numerous presentations and has published several articles regarding the intersection of race, class, and gender in public education. Doing and leading work that improves the education and life chances of children, especially poor children and children of color, are the core purposes of Dr. Smith’s work and life.

Dr. Smith earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana State University, her PhD from the University of Minnesota, and an honorary doctorate from Ohio Dominican University.