Whitney Smith

Artist, Brainstormer, Change Agent, Explorer, Foodie, Gay, Idea generator, Parent, Social entrepreneur

Whitney is the visionary Founder of Girls For A Change. Her inspiration for Girls For A Change springs from over a decade of experience in the leadership of innovative and progressive programs for girls and women. Her experience working with girls in juvenile detention and group homes has shaped her vision for a different world for girls and women. Envisioned as a highly collaborative and community-based model, Girls for a Change has evolved over the last ten years from a local organization serving 100 girls to an international organization serving thousands of girls. She was recently selected to attend Harvard Business School’s Nonprofit Strategic Management Program and awarded a scholarship to Hewlett Packard’s Leadership Initiative Program. She has received honors for her work from The Commission on the Status of Women and was honored by the San Jose Mercury News as one of Silicon Valley’s leading change agents. Girls For A Change was featured as a “Rising Star” in Fast Company Magazine. Whitney has created high visibility national partnerships with Sephora, Eileen Fisher and Clorox. Together with her team of nine staff she is training thousands of young urban women to be change agents and leaders. Under her leadership Girls For A Change has served over 10,000 young urban women in the last nine years around the US and internationally. GFC is in 15 US states and 5 other countries. GFC has a waiting list of more than 100 additional cities in 37 states and 10 countries, which have requested GFC programming. Prior to founding GFC, she was the Director of the Santa Clara County Office of Women’s Advocacy (OWA). Since 1989 OWA has identified current and emerging trends and needs for women and girls, influenced the local and state legislative process and created public awareness about women’s and girl’s issues. Whitney was Program Director at Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County where she managed programs and services for 18,000 young women. A fearless social change agent and innovator, Whitney began her career in college where she initiated and developed the first Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) student support group and LGBT Faculty Allies group in the Pennsylvania State University system. Whitney is skilled at creating strong and strategic organizations with deep community support. She shares her experience with other organizations as an active consultant in the areas of program development, nonprofit organizational development, fund development and outcomes evaluation. She is an artist and photographer. A tireless advocate for social justice and the unlimited potential of girls and women, Whitney speaks frequently to diverse audiences on social change, youth activism, and girls and women in leadership, including presentations at Simmons School of Management, The Women’s Technology Cluster, The Women’s Leadership Alliance, The Women’s Foundation of California, Hewlett Packard, Arizona Foundation for Women, Silicon Valley Women’s Fund, The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, and many youth conferences, schools and colleges. Whitney lives in Santa Cruz, California with her partner Susan and her daughter Lennon Grace.

girls' leadership development, youth development