Joshua Smith is a Managing Partner with Relay Graduate School of Education, overseeing school and district coaching and leadership development initiatives in Colorado. Prior to this role, Josh served as chief academic officer for STRIVE Prep, overseeing the academic programming across a network of 11 schools spanning grades K through 12. Previously, Josh served as chief schools officer with STRIVE Prep, managing and coaching Principals across the network and overseeing the leadership development of STRIVE Prep Administrators and Principal Fellows. He was the founding Principal of STRIVE Prep’s Harvey Park Campus (now Westwood) for three years, leading the school in achieving the highest academic growth of any middle school in Colorado and earning the status of #1 (of approximately 160 schools) on Denver Public Schools' School Performance Framework. Josh was a Teach for America corps member in the Rio Grande Valley from 2001 to 2004, where he was recognized as Campus Teacher of the Year (2003-2004) and Wal-Mart Community Teacher of the Year (2003-2004). Prior to re-locating to Colorado, Josh spent several years conducting research and policy advocacy in Washington, DC, with think-tanks such as the Stimson Center and the Woodrow Wilson Center. He was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2006. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a master’s degree from Georgetown University. He is intensely proud of the extraordinarily dedicated and hard-working students, teachers, and families of the STRIVE Prep community.