Patriann Smith, a professor at the USF College of Education, has been elected as the next vice president
of the (LRA). This appointment is a four-year commitment, beginning with the vice-presidential
role and extending into the president-elect and past presidential roles. Smith's term
will officially start in December 2024.
Smith will take on many leadership positions with this role, from serving as LRA conference
chair and co-chair to acting as the organization's chief executive officer. She will
be tasked with carrying on the mission and vision of LRA in alignment with the organization's
strategic plan and commitment to "promoting rigorous, methodologically diverse, and
socially responsible research that enriches the knowledge, understanding, and development
of lifespan literacies in a multicultural and multilingual world."
LRA, a nonprofit organization with a rich history dating back to 1950, is comprised
of a scholarly community dedicated to advancing literacy theory, research, and practice
in a multicultural and multilingual world. Over the years, LRA has become recognized
around the world as a primary literacy research organization. within this esteemed organization is a testament to her hard work and impact on the
literacy research community.
"For me, service is a way of life. This can be seen in my leadership roles across
organizations, universities, districts, schools, and initiatives," said Smith, who
has served with the International Literacy Association (ILA), Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), the Caribbean Community Association (CCA) of
Tampa Bay, and RISE Caribbean. "I undertake the sacred task of committing to servant-leadership in ways that honor
the perspectives and collaborations in which I am immersed and that hold sacred the
investments of those who have come before."
As highlighted in her position statement, Smith has a comprehensive understanding
of LRA operations, which has developed through years of service. Her service roles
with LRA have included: Parliamentarian (2013-2016); International ICG Member (2013-Present);
Multilingual/Transnational ICG Member (2013-Present); Ethnicity, Race, and Multilingualism
(ERM) Committee Member (2015-2018); ERM Travel Award Chair (2016-2017); co-author
of "The Role of Literacy Research in Racism and Racial Violence" (2016); STAR Fellow
(2017-2019); Conference Program Area Co-Chair for Literacy Assessment and Policy (2019);
and co-author of the "Racial Justice in Literacy Research Report" (2020).
Patriann Smith with Monique Toussaint, senior advisor for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans and co-panelist Jacqueline Smalls [2024].
Earlier this year, Smith was invited to serve as a panelist during the Power Up summit,
an event organized by the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity,
Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans and Discovery Education.
She spoke during the Global Pathways: Shaping Postsecondary Education for Black Students
breakout session on June 13 in Chicago, IL.
"I felt humbled and honored to be selected to serve in this role alongside numerous
other impactful scholars and leaders at this summit," said Smith. "It was thrilling
to be able to think with and to share with such a broad cross-section of community
members, educational leaders, as well as other educational stakeholders and policymakers,
about the critical need for university leaders to consider the intersectional roles
of race, language, and immigration in the literacies of Black students and that of
other students of color."
In a recent recognition, Smith received an honorable mention for the Mina P. Shaughnessy
Prize from the (MLA) of America for her recent book, 鈥淏lack Immigrant Literacies: Intersections
of Race, Language, and Culture in the Classroom,鈥� published by . The award is presented to outstanding scholarly books in language, culture, literacy,
and literature that have a strong application to teaching English.