About the Presenters

A dedicated, lifelong educator for over 40 years, Dr. Jack Smith has been a teacher, principal, curriculum director, and superintendent of schools. Dr. Smith led as an administrator in Richland, Washington, before becoming an international school principal in Tokyo for six years. Returning to the U.S. in 1998, he contributed significantly to Calvert County Public Schools, progressing from principal to superintendent for seven years, earning Maryland Superintendent of the Year in 2013.

As Maryland’s Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Smith collaborated with diverse stakeholders, ensuring top-tier education across public schools. His tenure as Montgomery County Superintendent for five years emphasized equitable access and elevated learning opportunities for all students. Driven by a commitment to inclusivity, Dr. Smith strives to offer graduation choices irrespective of students’ backgrounds. With degrees from Eastern Washington University and Notre Dame of Maryland University, including a Ph.D. in instructional leadership, his dedication to quality education remains unwavering.

Dr. Barbara Jenkins served students for over 30 years, becoming Orange County Public Schools superintendent in 2012 for 206,000 students before retiring in December 2022. Her leadership secured the Broad Prize for Urban Education, Governor’s Sterling Award, and District Accreditation from AdvancED. The district achieved a remarkable 97% graduation rate during her tenure. Notable recognitions include Superintendent of the Year, a presidential appointment to the National Board of Education Sciences, and the Baldridge Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence. She chaired the Council of Great City Schools, and actively engaged with various community boards, including Advent Health, Orlando Economic Partnership, United Arts of Central Florida, Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness, and the Orange County Youth Mental Health Commission. She currently leads the Women in Leadership initiative for Chiefs for Change, consults with the Southern Strategy Groug, and serves on the American College of Education board and the ETS board as audit chair.

As Co-President of Lavinia Group, Jackie Taslim leads and supports the development of best-in-class, results-focused instructional coaching, innovative professional development for school leaders and teachers, rigorous and engaging culturally relevant curricula in literacy and math, and the design and implementation of Lavinia’s summer learning program, RISE.

As an accomplished education leader with a track record of leading and managing teams to ambitious goals, Jackie’s experience prior to joining Lavinia Group was as Managing Director at Success Academies, one of the highest-performing and highest-growth charter networks in the country. A Teach For America alum, Jackie began her educational career teaching middle school English and history in the Bronx. Jackie was the principal of a National Blue Ribbon elementary school and received the Blackboard Principal of the Year Award in 2012.

With an 85% proficiency rate on the PARCC exam, significantly surpassing the statewide average of 38%, as a teacher in Washington, D.C., Julia Pockros guided fourth-grade students to exceptional achievements. As the Director of Programming and Partnerships at Lavinia Group, Julia has fostered numerous strategic collaborations to provide new educational opportunities for low-income and historically marginalized students. Julia has overseen the remarkable expansion of the RISE Summer Learning Program, scaling it from 3,000 students in Indianapolis to an impressive outreach of 25,000 students across 15 states.

Julia has prior experience as a school leader in New Orleans, Washington D.C., and Detroit. She holds a BA from Washington University in St. Louis, a master’s in education leadership from Relay Graduate School of Education, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in organizational leadership at Vanderbilt University.