Kristine Smith
Biography
Dr. Kristine Smith has served in public education for 20 years as an educator, coach, and consultant. Her areas of expertise include data analysis, strategic visioning and planning, high quality good first teaching, supporting multilingual student success, and leadership development.
Dr. Smith’s career started in Fresno, California where she focused her efforts as a classroom teacher, site leader and principal in the areas of instructional improvement for turnaround model schools and creating a high performing school culture focused on student needs. Her role in site leadership earned her and her team numerous accolades locally and internationally for creating a positive impact for the students and families she served. Her extensive experience in school leadership partnered with her vast knowledge of fiscal and resource management provided her the opportunity to have a positive impact at multiple secondary school sites within the Fresno Unified School District during her 12 year tenure working there. In Fresno, she served as the administrator of four separate multi-million dollar grants focused on implementing high quality instructional practices at the middle and high school level.
For the past eight years, Dr. Smith’s work has led her to the Southern California region where she works full time supporting more than 40 school districts through strategic planning, decision driven data collection, and intentional instructional change in support of multilingual learners. She is certified in Race and Equity Leadership in Schools from Harvard University, holds a Certificate in Improvement Science in Education from the University of Michigan, and is Certified as a Chief Business Official through the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO).
Kristine earned her doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California and is a published author of multiple peer reviewed articles focused on instruction, organizational improvement, new teacher support, leadership development, and change management.
As a Latina in leadership, Kristine is passionate about equity and systems change in support of all learners. She is an active member of the Southern California Chapter of the California Association of Latino School Administrators (CALSA), and the Association of Latino School Administrators (ALAS). Dr. Smith’s research in the area of eliminating barriers for underrepresented minority leaders to advance into senior district leadership roles continues to drive her to build capacity in leadership at all levels of school organizations.
In her role at Nancy Akhavan Education, Dr. Smith provides customized professional learning at the elementary and secondary level, engages in side-by-side leadership coaching, promotes building teacher and leader data literacy, and specializes in improving instruction in support of English language learners.