Founder & Chief Learning Strategist
Contact: Ed2Liberate@gmail.com / Marion@Ed2liberate.com
Dr. Marion Smith Jr. is a Black man, first!
Marion is a transformative and impact-driven career educator and racial equity scholar practitioner with a proven track record of driving innovation, cultivating equity and accelerating academic outcomes. He brings over 20+ years of leading and managing complex organizational growth and change across the country in PK-12 education, post-secondary institutions and EdTech.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marion served as Superintendent of Schools of Summit School District (Colorado). Unanimously selected by the Summit School District Board of Education, 7-0, from a pool of more than 45 candidates, he oversaw the learning of 3,400 scholars and supported over 650 employees with an annual general operating budget of $42 million. He was the first Black administrator and first Black superintendent in the 150-year history of the school district. During the 2020-2021 school year, Dr. Smith collaborated with the school district community to implement foundational equity professional learning districtwide that was used to frame the work of the District Equity Advisory Team (EAT) resulting in the development of a new, first of its kind, district Equity Policy (‘Just and Equitable Education’) unanimously approved and adopted by the Board of Education. Additionally, partnering with the Colorado Education Initiative, he oversaw the launch of a community-wide process and strategic plan steering committee resulting in the development of a Graduate Profile and multi-year District Strategic Plan.
A life-long learner with a focus on excellence, Marion is a performing arts high school graduate and first-generation college student. His scholarship includes a bachelor’s degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and a master’s degree in Education Administration & Supervision with K-12 Principal Certification from the University of Phoenix – Las Vegas campus. He earned a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership & Change from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA, and pursued post-doctoral studies in Executive Leadership at Seattle University (Seattle U) earning Washington State Superintendent Certification. Additionally, Dr. Smith is an inaugural graduate of the AASA Urban Superintendents Academy at the University of Southern California (USC); a Harvard Business School Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) alumni; Men of Color in Educational Leadership (MCEL) National Leadership Institute Inaugural Fellow; and a Spring 2024 graduate from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
Professional Journey and Experiences:
- Assistant State Superintendent of Instructional Programs & Services, Maryland State Department of Education (MD)
- Superintendent of Schools, Summit School District (CO)
- Chief Academic Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Academics, St. Louis Public Schools (MO)
- Founding Chief Operating & Education Officer, TechSmart, Inc (WA)
- Part Time Lecturer, University of Washington Tacoma, School of Education Doctoral Program (WA)
- Adjunct Faculty, Antioch University Seattle (WA)
- Associate Faculty, City University of Seattle (WA)
- Executive Director of Learning Improvement (Principal Supervisor), Kent School District (WA)
- Regional Director of K-12 Learning, Leadership and Student Success, Puget Sound ESD (WA)
- School Principal, Seattle Public Schools (WA)
- School Assistant Principal, Seattle Public Schools (WA)
- Founding School Director of Culture, Scholars Academies (PA)
- Middle School Dean of Students, Clark County School District (NV)
- Secondary English Teacher & AVID Curriculum Specialist, Clark County School District (NV)
- Early Childhood Education Teacher, Clark County (NV)
Scholarship:
- Bachelor of Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
- Master of Education, University of Phoenix- Las Vegas campus (UOP)
- Master of Human Resources & Employment Law, Arizona State University (ASU) – Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
- Doctor of Education, Fielding Graduate University
- Post-Doctoral Studies – Executive Leadership & Washington State Superintendent Certification, Seattle University – Cohort 7
- AASA Urban Superintendent’s Academy Certification Program, University of Southern California (USC) – Cohort 1
Publications:
Article: “Navigating the Journey: Challenges and Strategies for Black Male Leaders in K-12 Education” (2024)
White Paper: “Expanding PK-12 Computer Science Education” (2016)
Doctoral Dissertation: “Silent Revolution: A Marginalized Learner in Transition; Counter Narratives of the Self” (2010)