Dr. Kimberly White-Smith

Dr. Kimberly A. White-Smith is a Professor and Dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) at the University of San Diego. With over 25 years of urban schooling and educator development experience, Dr. White-Smith endeavors to foster academic justice for Black, Indigenous, Queer, Latinx, and neurodivergent students through enhanced learning environments, policies, and practices. She has authored publications on teacher and student learning, equity, leadership, and Black Mother Scholars. A former public school teacher and resident of South Los Angeles, Dr. White-Smith is passionate about urban education and has participated in many university-community-based partnerships designed to support access to quality education for minoritized and economically oppressed students. Dr. White-Smith honed these skills through her work with the Cotsen Family Foundation, Los Angeles Educational Partnership; National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching (NCREST) at Teachers College, Columbia University; and consulting with public schools and private education foundations. She has authored articles, books, and chapters on diversity, inclusivity, and leadership, such as School Effectiveness in US Amid Crisis: Moral Capacity Building for Social Justice Leadership, Co-authored with Drs. Jacob Easley and Nilda Soto-Ruiz and “That’s why I say stay in school”: Black Mothers’ Parental Involvement, Cultural Wealth, and Exclusion in their Sons Schooling co-authored with Dr. Quaylan Allen. Her current book is Through the fire: From intake to credential, teacher candidates share their experiences through narrative, co-authored by Hayes, Fashing-Varner & Eisworth. It explores how teacher educators can better prepare teachers against a backdrop of historical schooling inequalities. Dr. White-Smith attended the University of Southern California (Ed.D., Learning and Instruction), Teachers College, Columbia University (MA, Curriculum and Instruction), and the University of California at Berkeley (BA, Psychology).