Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith Named Senior Director of the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity at the Public School Forum of NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (February 7, 2022) — Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith, a long-time educator and advocate for educational equity, has been named Senior Director of the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity.

“I am excited to begin the role as Senior Director for the Flood Center,” said Dr. Townsend-Smith. “Throughout my career, my mission has been to serve, transform, empower, and inspire. It excites me that the mission of the Flood Center and my personal mission are closely aligned. Through this alignment, we will be able to influence equitable educational outcomes for children at the state and national levels.”

Dr. Townsend-Smith brings more than 20 years of experience in education to the role of leading the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity. Officially launched in 2020, the Flood Center tackles issues of equity, access, and opportunity in education across North Carolina by serving as a hub to identify and connect organizations, networks, and leaders; informing discussions on policies impacting equity & social justice; and supporting and advancing equity-focused educator programming and promoting discussions around how schools are funded at the local and state levels. The Flood Center is named for Dr. Dudley Flood, an educator and champion of school integration in North Carolina whose legacy of wisdom, courage, and collaboration serves as the compass for this important work.

In her capacity as Senior Director, Dr. Townsend-Smith will advance and expand the current programmatic and policy efforts of the Flood Center in an effort to achieve its mission of addressing issues of systemic racism by advocating for structural changes in policy and practice to build an equitable education system that meets the social, emotional, and academic needs of NC’s diverse student population.

“Dr. Townsend-Smith’s history and current engagement with education equity stakeholders across the state positions her well to advance the work of the Flood Center,” said Alfred Mays, Chair of Board of Directors of the Public School Forum of NC.  “We look forward to investments in equity resources and assets being leveraged for greater impact and outcomes under Dr. Townsend-Smith’s leadership.”

Dr. Townsend-Smith has a passion for education and has dedicated her career to the field, having worked as a teacher, mentor, new teacher coach, and education administrator during the past 20 years. Most recently, Dr. Townsend-Smith served as the Director of Board Policy and Operations for the North Carolina State Board of Education, where she oversaw the Board’s day-to-day operations, led its strategic planning efforts, and managed the Board’s policy agendas.

“We are so looking forward to having Dr. Townsend-Smith’s experience, vision and leadership guide the work of the Flood Center,” said Dr. Mary Ann Wolf, President and Executive Director of the Public School Forum of NC. “Dr. Townsend-Smith is a thought leader who will work closely with our team to build the foundation for how North Carolina can address equity, access, and opportunity in education across North Carolina.”