News

Educational First Steps welcomes David C. Smith, Ph.D. as the Senior Director of Donor Relations

David Smith is both an accomplished educator and highly experienced development professional.  Smith joins Educational First Steps as the Senior Director of Donor Relations, after spending more than twelve years with the University of Dallas, where he was the Executive Director of Advancement Services and Operations.  Smith’s primary experience is in annual, capital, and endowed giving as well as advancement systems and programming.  Prior to the University of Dallas, Smith worked in community outreach for both the State of Oklahoma and National Park Service.

As an educator, Smith holds a doctorate in Transatlantic History from the University of Texas at Arlington, and he is also a graduate of the master’s program in Social History at Villanova University.  Currently, Smith teaches American Civilization as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the History Department at the University of Dallas.  With a focus on Social History, Smith studies and lectures about the socioeconomic factors that have shaped history including race, class, gender, and poverty.  At Educational First Steps, Smith relishes the opportunity to utilize both his academic and development expertise to help disadvantaged children receive the opportunity of a high-quality education.

Originally from Lawton, Oklahoma, Smith is an undergraduate alumnus of the University of Oklahoma.  Smith now resides in McKinney, Texas, where he and his wife, Jenny, are the happy parents to two young children and a beloved dog named Boomer.