SUMMIT COUNTY, CO, May 07, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Marion Smith Jr. has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than 20 years of experiences leading and managing complex organizational growth and change in PK-12 education, post-secondary institutions and the EdTech business sector, Dr. Smith has garnered a lauded reputation in his professional career. Currently in his role as the superintendent of schools of Summit School District (SSD) in Frisco, Colorado since 2020, Dr. Smith oversees the learning of over 3,400 scholars and leads over 650 employees with an annual operating budget of $42 million. He is the first Black administrator and first Black superintendent in the 150-year history of SSD. Additionally, as a leader of adult professional learning, Dr. Smith is the founder and chief learning strategist of Educate to Liberate Consulting (E2LC), a learning-focused consulting group founded, led and operated by men of color scholar-practitioners who apply critical pedagogy, adaptive leadership, systems thinking and anti-racist practices to work with individuals, organizations and communities to surface and address systemic inequities. He is also the co-author of the Racial Equity Adaptive Leadership Framework (R.E.A.L).
Prior to his current role, Dr. Smith served as the chief operating and education officer of TechSmart, Inc., an educational technology company with national headquarters in Seattle, WA that centers its efforts on coding and computer science education. Additionally, Dr. Smith has served as an executive director of learning improvement with Kent School District (Kent, WA), regional director of K-12 leadership and school improvement with Puget Sound Educational Service District (Renton, WA); adjunct faculty and lecturer (University of Washington- Tacoma and Antioch University-Seattle); school principal and assistant principal in Seattle Public Schools (Seattle, WA); P-8 turnaround charter school founding director with Scholar Academies (North Philadelphia, PA); and middle school dean of students in the Clark County School District (Las Vegas, NV)- the fifth largest school district in the nation. He initially began his career as an English teacher and AVID curriculum specialist with the Clark County School District in 2002. Eminently qualified in his field, Dr. Smith has earned superintendent certification through Seattle University in 2014 and the inaugural cohort of the AASA /University of Southern California (USC) Urban Superintendents Academy in 2016.
Throughout the course of his professional journey, Dr. Smith has flourished as a speaker, moderator and panelist for numerous national and local conferences, workshops and seminars pertinent to his areas of expertise. Furthermore, he has contributed to the cultivation of leadership within his field as a principal mentor with the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) and as a participant of the Leadership Institute for Superintendents and District Leaders through the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Known for his community service on a variety of non-profit boards advancing public education and supporting families and children, Dr. Smith has been recruited to the board of directors for Early Childhood Options, a local nonprofit childhood service organization, and Building Hope Summit County. Prior service includes elected board director on the Puget Sound Educational Service District Board of Directors, Black Education Strategy Roundtable Board of Directors, Professional Education Advisory Board at Seattle University, Child Care Resources Board of Directors, Equity and Race Advisory Committee to the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, and appointment by the Washington State Supreme Court to the Access to Justice Board.
Dr. Smith was drawn to his profession due to his belief in the transformative power of education. Many people throughout the world have encountered barriers to a quality education due to race, socioeconomic status and language acquisition and he remains unapologetic about his life's work to dismantle and reimagine the inequitable systems, policies and procedures that have created this situation. Throughout the course of his own educational journey, Dr. Smith earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education from the University of Nevada in 2002, a Master of Arts in Education Administration & Supervision with Principal K-12 certification from the University of Phoenix- Las Vegas campus in 2004, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership & Change from Fielding Graduate University in 2010.
In a career filled with highlights, Dr. Smith strives to add value to any organization that seeks to create a more just and equitable environment where all thrive. Renowned for his exemplary leadership thus far in his career, Dr. Smith was an interview finalist for the position of Nevada State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2019 and received such accolades as the Excellence & Equity in Education Employee of the Year Award by the Puget Sound Educational Service District in 2017 and a Distinguished Educator Award from the Clark County School District in 2003 and 2006. A celebrated Marquis listee, Dr. Smith was also featured in the ninth edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers in 2005.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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