Charmaine Smith is a Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Technology Education Fund. She possess expertise in grant writing, strategic planning, public relations, non profits, fundraising and 42 more skills. Colleagues describe her as "A great leader not only promotes their vision for an organization, they understand how to cultivate relationships, listen to the needs of those they serve, and challenge the thinking of those around them. Charmaine Smith is this kind of thought leader. I have grown professionally and personally from my interactions with her. I have been lucky enough to work with Charmaine on several grant projects, and with each one, her guidance has been invaluable to me, my colleagues, and our students. She excels at organizational leadership and grants management. Part of what is so inspiring about her is the way she works with educators to hone their vision for each grant to have the most impact on students and encourages educators to center students in the grant process. Charmaine is truly a partner in each project, providing expert guidance and support in each phase of implementation. In addition to schools like mine that have directly benefited from grants provided by her organization, I feel Charmaine pushes innovation among all area schools, as we draw inspiration from the projects she has championed and envision possibilities for our students. She also plans events and creates networking opportunities that allow innovative educators to connect with and learn from one another. Her leadership inspired the Educational Technology Association of St. Louis to recognize her organization with an award for major contributions to technology programs of St. Louis area schools. She has also been a leader beyond St. Louis, with her advocacy on a national level with Education Broadband, and it was my pleasure to appear on a panel she led on how educational missions can be advanced through use and leasing of EBS licenses. I appreciate her focus on digital equity in particular and equity in general." and "I have had the pleasure of knowing Charmaine more than 10 years, meeting her through her work with the Innovative Technology Education Fund. Through professional interactions and individual conversations over those years, it is evident that Charmaine’s mission is consistent and authentic. She lives that mission, focused on empowering and building people, with a particular heart for educators. She is driven to ensure there is education equity and access to technology not only at the individual student level, but at school and district levels as well. Those drives, paired with vision and flexibility to achieve desired goals, have allowed her to build a long sequence of successes, including the lasting relationships and friendships developed with those she has championed."