Monica Miller-Smith, whose communication, leadership, and research skills and the concerns of the Coral Bay community will help as the organization moves forward, has been selected as the new executive director for the Coral Bay Community Council (CBCC), the organization announced.
She is the first paid executive director to step into the position that Sharon Coldren has held as a volunteer for many years, according to the press release.
Most recently, Miller-Smith has served as the director of Research and Impact at Yardstick Management | Diversified Search Group. In this position, she led the research and development department and the Yardstick Management Institute, a leadership institute for the nation’s top diverse leaders, the press release stated.
Previously, Miller-Smith was a professor in the Human Development and Family Sciences Department at the University of Connecticut. Her main areas of expertise include diversity, equity, and inclusion, low-income populations, and civic engagement. In March 2020, her textbook, “Families and Children Living in Poverty,” was released. She also lived on the island of Nevis for three years and created early childhood, socioemotional teacher trainings and developmental screening assessments to connect Nevis families with speech-language and behavior therapy resources, the release stated.
Miller-Smith earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego, Master of Arts degree from Emerson College, and Doctorate in Education from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. She moved to St. Thomas from St. Simons Island, Georgia, in August 2023 with her husband, who is in resort management, and their two daughters, it said.
Sharon Coldren, CBCC’s previous volunteer executive director, says, “We are very excited to welcome Monica to help CBCC’s board take our community forward. Miller-Smith was chosen because she has a strong record of demonstrated research, communications and leadership skills. These skills can be applied well to the concerns of all Coral Bay people for environmental stewardship, infrastructure improvement, and community services.”
CBCC is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month and has delivered more than $5 million in services and infrastructure while pursuing its mission for the community. The next 20 years will bring new challenges and new leadership is important, according to the release.
The Coral Bay Community Council is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2003 by volunteer residents with the purpose of acting as a community advocate, government liaison, and trusted information and research source. As a watershed management association, CBCC seeks to address threats to water quality in Coral Bay and the sub-watersheds that contribute to it, the release stated.
Coral Bay Community Council is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
For more information, contact the office at cbcc@coralbaycommunitycouncil.org or call 340-776-2099.
