Gloria Smith is an educator, administrator and dedicated community organizer. She has worked for over three decades with a variety of grassroots community initiatives – with a special focus on youth and families, social justice, and preparing students of color for college and professional education. Ms. Smith is currently executive director of The Black Star Project in Chicago -- an organization founded in 1996 by Phillip Jackson to close the racial academic achievement gap and to advocate for those in disadvantaged communities. In her work with The Black Star Project, Ms. Smith has coordinated a range of events and activities including public policy forums on economic empowerment and participatory democracy.
Ms. Smith has also worked with The DePaul University College of Law, the Chicago Kent College of Law, the Iliff School of Theology as well as other educational and community organizations. In her earlier career, Ms. Smith was Associate Director of Regulatory and Public Policy before retiring from SBC- Ameritech Corporation in 1999.