Michael Smith

Michael Smith

Michael Smith serves as Executive Director of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and Director of Youth Opportunity Programs at the Obama Foundation. In 2014, President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) and issued a call to action to close opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color. To scale and sustain this mission, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance) was launched in 2015 as an independent nonprofit organization. Michael was part of the initial launch team. Since launching, a national movement has grown with nearly 250 cities, counties, and Tribal Nations accepting the MBK Community Challenge — President Obama’s call to adopt innovative approaches, strengthen support, and build ladders of opportunity for African American boys and young men, all in an effort to reduce barriers and expand opportunity. Today, as an initiative of the Obama Foundation, MBK Alliance leads a national call to action to build safe and supportive communities for boys and young men of color where they feel valued and have clear paths to opportunity, all with the goal of encouraging mentorship, reducing youth violence, and improving their life outcomes. As Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of Cabinet Affairs for MBK, Michael became the first and only White House director of the initiative.