About Wanda Smith

Managing Director of Regional Operations, Infrastructure

Wanda Smith serves as the Managing Director of Regional Operations, Infrastructure for KIPP Atlanta Schools. In this role, she provides strategic leadership and operational oversight across Facilities, Custodial Services, Technology, and Events – ensuring the region’s campuses are safe, efficient, and grounded in KIPP’s commitment to excellence and equity.

Wanda joined KIPP in 2019 as a Director of Operations, where she quickly became known for designing scalable systems that improved school operations, enhanced communication, and built bridges between teams. Today, she leads with a focus on people, process, and purpose – cultivating strong cross-functional collaboration and operational sustainability across the organization.

Before joining KIPP, Wanda spent more than 20 years as an Executive Leader in Talent, Culture, and Operations within the financial industry, overseeing over 3,000 employees and multiple financial centers across the state of Georgia. During that time, she led large-scale initiatives in leadership coaching, employee engagement, and organizational development – earning recognition for developing high-performing teams and building cultures of excellence.

A servant leader at heart, Wanda’s work extends beyond the walls of KIPP. She continues to serve her community as a Trustee and Financial Advisor at Dixie Hills First Baptist Church and through her lifelong commitment to sisterhood and service as a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Wanda is a graduate of Mercer University and Yale University, where she deepened her expertise in organizational leadership, operational strategy, and public education systems.

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
— Malcolm X