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Served as President 12-2004 to present.
Contact Information: Phone: 5l7-614-050l E-mail: dlsmith19@mac.com
Professional Statement Personal Statement
Professional StatementDavid Smith has worked 12 years as a contractor for the Michigan Department of Education, where he currently serves as the Managing Director of a federal grant from the Office of Special Education Programs. Past employment includes serving as the director of a state association for community-based vocational rehabilitation programs and before that, as the Director of the National Education Office of the U.S. Bahá'í National Center, in Evanston, Illinois. He began his professional career as a social worker in Saginaw, Michigan. In addition to working for non-profit organizations at the local, state and national levels, David has also served on a number of non-profit boards including The Arc-Michigan, and the Michigan Non-Profit Forum. He was a member of the Community Services for the Developmentally Disabled Parent Advisory Committee for several years and is the current chairman of the local governing council for the Bahá'ís of East Lansing, Michigan. Among the presentations David has made over the years are the following: •“Making Relationships Visible,” the story of Haitian/American collaboration presented to the student body at Maxwell International Bahá'í School, British Columbia, Canada, 2005. •“Family Perspectives and Experiences Regarding Shared Service Delivery—Strategies for Navigating the System,” Transition Services Project Summer Institute, Grand Rapids, MI. 2003. •“System Learning and Change,” Affinity group leader. Office of Special Education Services Personnel Prep-State Improvement Grant-Comprehensive System of Personnel Development Conference, Washington, DC, 2003. •“Partners in Progress: A Small-Scale Development Project in Haiti,” Bahá’í Conference for Social and Economic Development, Orlando, FL. 2002. •“State Strategies for Building Local Capacity,” National Alliance of State Science and Mathematics Coalitions Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA. 1999. •“The Non-Profit Sector of the U.S. Economy,” Conference of Ukrainian Economists, Kiev State University, Kiev, Ukraine. 1994.
Personal StatementDavid is an accomplished photographer. Many of the images on this website were taken by him and he freely contributes photographs to Education For Prosperity for fund-raising. He and his wife Melanie have three children: Amber, who lives in Brooklyn, NY; Zachary, who lives in Lansing, MI; and Amelia, who lives in Seattle, WA. One of the defining characteristics in David’s life has been his close, continuous involvement with people who have severe disabilities. His late mother, Jerry, was institutionalized with mental illness when David was a child. His son, Zak, has autism and lives in adult foster care, though he is still a regular part of the weekly activities in the Smith household. The complexities of living with—and losing—loved ones whose life circumstances kept them from attaining success, as defined by prevailing social standards, was a constant challenge. David’s search for answers lead him to study psychology as an undergraduate, to begin his career in social work, and to investigate spiritual teachings along the way. He became a member of the Bahá'í Faith in 1971. David’s passion for photography expresses itself by looking deeply into the faces and lives of people he meets. He sees in these faces, regardless of age, color, ethnicity, disability, or social status, living expressions of the oneness of humankind. He carries with him a traveling portfolio of these images and shows them to people he chances to meet, whether family, co-workers, or the person sitting next to him on an airplane. The title of his personal website displaying images of Haiti is “Making Relationships Visible.” This, too, is a reflection of the understanding he has come to—that we are all part of the human family and that it is important for us all to work towards living lives that are mutually supportive. His engagement with Education for Prosperity and his commitment to its mission of connecting communities is also a reflection of this value.
Pierre Balthazar, Antoine Rafael (Lekol Pa Nou's Principal) and David Smith, Pichon, Haiti.
Education For Prosperity Planning Stages; Oct- 2004, at the home of David Smith. From left; Alan Kinnersley, Julie Fleming, Victoria Croasdell-Siegel, Aurora Siegel, Autumn Siegel, John Siegel, David Smith, Pierre Balthazar, Nadia Balthazar and Loulou Balthazar. For more images see Photo Gallery Home Projects Donate Sales News & Events Contact About Links This site designed and maintained by MRISAR. Send questions/comments about this site to vcs@mrisar.com
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