Dr. Kristina Kyles-Smith is the CEO of the Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School in Baltimore, an all-girls school dedicated to academic rigor and leadership for girls of color. Her career spans diverse educational leadership roles, including teacher, district director of equity, curriculum director, principal, charter network executive director, and Assistant State Superintendent of Education in Maryland. She also served as Regional Director for EL Education.
Raised in Holland, Michigan, by activist parents, she holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Cambridge College, with research focusing on historically black schools and community building. She is currently pursuing a degree in public policy. An accomplished author and speaker, Dr. Kyles-Smith has received numerous awards, including the NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award. She is actively involved in professional associations like the National Alliance of Black School Educators and is committed to community service through the Harbor City Links and the NAACP.