Founder & Chief Learning Strategist
Contact: Ed2Liberate@gmail.com / Marion@Ed2liberate.com
Dr. Marion Smith Jr. is a Black man, first!
Dr. Smith brings over 20 years of experience and impact leading and managing complex organizational growth and change in PK-12 education, post-secondary institutions and EdTech. He has honed his career in diverse ethnic, racial, linguistic, socioeconomic and cultural settings across the country in his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada; North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Seattle, Washington; Summit County, Colorado and most recently the City of St. Louis, Missouri.
As a critical pedagogy / critical race scholar, adaptive leadership specialist, and career-long, certificated PK-12 transformative educator, Dr. Smith has dedicated his career to serving all scholars (students) “as if they were family” getting to know each by name, need, strength and aspiration. His professional mission is to provide all children, regardless of background or circumstances, a public education experience that is equitable, experiential, engaging and authentic. His mantra in this work may be summarized in 10 words: “We’re here to make great things happen for our scholars!”
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Smith 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.
Guided by an unwavering pursuit of personal, institutional and systemic equity, Dr. Smith co-authored the Racial Equity Adaptive Leadership (R.E.A.L.) Framework, an innovative approach that addresses the interplay between systems thinking, adaptive leadership and anti-racist practices. In addition to his scholarship, Dr. Smith is the founder and owner of Educate to Liberate Consulting, which is home to the experiential, three-day ‘R.E.A.L. Institute. Additionally, he is the co-designer and co-facilitator of the three day ‘Coaching and Leading for Racial Equity Institute’ that has since become foundational training and professional development offered by the largest educational service district (ESD) in Washington State that serves 35 school districts, 9 charter schools, 2 tribal compact schools and 270 private schools educating over 400,000 PK-12 scholars.
A life-long learner with a focus on excellence, Dr. Smith is a former public school K-12 student, 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 Urban Superintendents Academy from the University of Southern California; a Harvard Business School Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) Summer Institute alumni; Men of Color in Educational Leadership (MCEL) National Leadership Institute Inaugural Fellow; and an upcoming Spring 2024 graduate from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
Professional Journey and Experiences:
- Superintendent of Schools, Summit School District (CO)
- Chief Academic Officer / Deputy Superintendent of Academics (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:
Dissertation: “Silent Revolution: A Marginalized Learner in Transition; Counter Narratives of the Self” (2010)
White Paper: “Expanding PK-12 Computer Science Education” (2016)