Michael D. Smith

Michael Smith currently serves as Executive Director of the My Brothers Keeper Alliance and Director of Youth Opportunity Programs at the Obama Foundation. In these roles, Michael leads the Obama Foundations efforts to scale the My Brothers Keeper (MBK) initiative and aligned efforts to expand opportunity for youth in greatest need.Michael was part of the team that designed and launched My Brothers Keeper, a cross-sector call to action to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and to ensure that all young people can reach their full potential. As Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director of Cabinet Affairs for My Brothers Keeper, Michael became the first and only White House director of the initiative. Prior to joining the White House team, Michael was an appointee in the Obama Administration, serving as director of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a key White House initiative and program of the Corporation for National and Community Service that combines federal and private investment to help scale and replicate evidence-based solutions to complex social challenges.Before joining the Obama Administration Michael served as Senior Vice President of Social Innovation at the Case Foundation, where he oversaw the Foundations giving and program strategy and guided numerous sector-building initiatives and public-private partnerships. Michael also helped build national initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide at the Beaumont Foundation of America and PowerUP, served as a senior program and communications staff member at the Family Center Boys & Girls Club in Springfield, MA, was an aide to U.S. Congressman Richard E. Neal and has a B.A. in Communications from Marymount University. Prior to his federal service, Michael served for many years on the boards of Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE), Idealist.org and Public Allies.