Executive Biography

Gaye Morris Smith, Executive Director

Gaye Morris Smith is Executive Director of Family Connection Partnership, Inc., in Atlanta, a public/private nonprofit created and funded by the State of Georgia and the private sector. She oversees the work of Family Connection Partnership in connecting local, state and national partners to support efforts to strengthen Georgia's children, families and communities. Partners include: public/private foundations; human service providers; education, community and business leaders; state and local elected officials; and faith- and civic-based organizations.

Smith's primary duties include: supporting Family Connection collaboratives in all 159 Georgia counties through technical assistance, peer learning, and replicating best practices; promoting local decision-making and community priorities; and overseeing the Partnership's data collection and analysis of indicators of child and family well-being. She also provides support and leadership for the Partnership's Board of Directors.

Smith joined the Partnership in November 2001. She previously served as President/CEO of Parent and Child Development Services Inc., a nonprofit agency providing Montessori child development, family counseling, and teen parenthood programs for families in Chatham and Effingham Counties. She also provided consultative services for the Casey Foundation's Making Connections Initiative in Savannah. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Director and interim Executive Director for the Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authority, a community-based collaborative responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring services to children.

Smith began her career in social services with the United Way of the Coastal Empire, where she was vice president of Planning and Allocations. She has served on the boards and as president of several nonprofit organizations, including president of the Savannah Jr. League. She currently is a member of the Board of Directors of Voices for Georgia's Children, a statewide advocacy organization for children and families. She also serves as a boardmember for the GA Partnership for Excellence in Education and the Advisory Board for the RAND Corporation's Promising Practices Network.

A native of Athens, Smith received a bachelor's degree in business administration from North Georgia College and State University, Dahlonega, and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Georgia, Athens.