Whitney Smith
Manager of the the Employment Program, The Joyce Foundation
Whitney Smith formerly served on our Advisory Council on Agriculture, Small Business and Labor. She joined The Joyce Foundation in November 2005 as the manager of the Employment Program. The Employment Program is focused on improving the labor market outcomes of low-income, low-skilled adults in the Great Lakes region. She is leading a $15 million state policy reform initiative to increase the number of adults in the region who attain postsecondary credentials valued in the labor market. Smith has broad experience on welfare, workforce and adult education policy, most recently as associate director of the Chicago Jobs Council. She is currently serving as co-chair of National Workforce Matters Funder’s Network steering committee; co-chair of the Civic and Foundation Advisory Committee for the City Colleges of Chicago Reinvention Initiative; and is an advisory member of the Chapin Hall’s CWIC Stats. Smith also serves as president of the Board of Directors for the Oak Park Regional Housing Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago.