Karla Smith is a 2020-21 Texas DFW Policy Fellow. She teaches 8th grade Science at Benjamin Franklin International Exploratory Academy, where she also chairs the Science Department and Gifted and Talented Program. Karla is a Distinguished Teacher under the Dallas ISD Teacher Excellence Initiative and is in her second year serving as one of the program’s DTR Ambassadors. She has been chosen as Teacher of the Year, was selected for the Top Teacher Spotlight in DISD, and was featured in the superintendent’s newsletter for her contributions to STEM. She recently joined SMU as a designer to create Project-Based Learning opportunities for the new West Dallas STEM School. She graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a BS in Biology.
