Kim Smith
Director of Programs
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Expertise
Kim Smith is the Director of Programs for the University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab where she works across a portfolio of research projects in close partnership with government agencies and local nonprofits. She works extensively on the Crime Lab’s efforts to make data more accessible to the public, most recently by supporting the development and release of the City of Chicago’s Violence Reduction Dashboard, a tool for non-profit organizations, the media, and the general public, which provides near-real-time data and visualizations of violence trends.
Prior to joining the Labs, she worked at Innovations for Poverty Action, a research organization dedicated to discovering and advancing what works to improve the lives of people living in poverty. Kim was one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ 40 Under 40 in 2022 and a fellow in the 2023 class of Leadership Greater Chicago.
Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from McGill University.
High School Transitions
At the request of Chicago Public Schools, the Education Lab conducted the High School Transitions project, which leveraged predictive analytics to identify students at risk of dropping out of high school as early as 7th grade and paired them with a summer enrichment program to help them get back on track.
Choose to Change
The Choose to Change program combines trauma-informed therapy with wraparound supports with the goal of reducing youth violence while improving educational outcomes outside of an institutional setting.
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40 Under 40 | Kimberley Smith
Kim Smith, Director of Programs for the University of Chicago Education and Crime Labs is honored by Crain’s Chicago Business in their 2022 “40 Under 40” Class of 2022.
