Leon Smith is a 2023-2024 Teach Plus Pennsylvania Senior Policy Fellow. Leon is a high school social studies teacher, “Grow Your Own” developer, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leader at Haverford High School in Havertown, Pennsylvania. He focuses on increasing teacher diversity in the district through leadership and development of recruitment and retention initiatives. Leon was named a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars; The Domenick J. Recchiuti Humanitarian Award by the Haverford School District; and Teach Plus Pennsylvania Fellow of the Year. Leon is a founding board member of Mirrors in Education, a nonprofit that provides resources, community, and professional development to educators of color to facilitate their recruitment and retention within Pennsylvania public school districts with low minority educator representation. Leon earned his BA in secondary social studies education from the University of Maryland at College Park, and his MEd in instructional systems from Pennsylvania State University Great Valley Campus.
