Missouri Missouri National Education Association leaders elected Charles E. Smith as the organization’s first black president Sunday at the association’s spring representative assembly.
Smith, currently serving as vice president, begins his three-year term Aug. 1.
Smith is a 27-year veteran of the public schools in Missouri, working most recently as a communications arts teacher in the Center School District in south Kansas City. He has also taught journalism and served as high school newspaper advisor and communications arts department chairman.
On leave from the Center School District for the past six years, Smith has worked full time for the 35,000-member state affiliate of the National Education Association, attending state board of education and Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators meetings, chairing MNEA’s budget committee, working with the Future Educators Association and serving as the advisor to the MNEA Bylaws Committee.
Throughout his career, Smith has been an advocate and leader on many fronts, with his focus on NEA, NAACP and his church.
Smith served as NEA director for Missouri seven years, president of the Kansas City NAACP for six years, first vice president of the Missouri NAACP for 14 years, and national NAACP Board of Directors for six years. He has served on the MNEA Board of Directors since 1999.
Among the highlights of Smith’s many leadership contributions to Missouri NEA and NEA is his role as the national chairman of the NEA Black Caucus, which represents 400,000 African American teachers, education support professionals, college students, administrators and retired members. He also represented the caucus on the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education, NEA Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee and the NEA Board of Directors as a non-voting member.
Smith is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University.