Originally from Jacksonville, Kristopher Smith joined the LISC Jacksonville staff on April 20, 2020. In his role as Community Development Program Officer, Smith oversees LISC’s Jacksonville Urban Core Initiative and its efforts to advance economic growth in urban core neighborhoods. Kristopher brings nearly 20 years of experience in community engagement and development, grantmaking and capacity building to the organization.

Kristopher comes to Jacksonville from Lexington, Kentucky where he served as Director of Community Services for the Community Action Council in Lexington managing the organization’s community centers and Head Start initiatives focused on reducing poverty, helping ensure program excellence and compliance while providing financial oversight for the agency’s $42 million annual operating budget as part of the senior leadership group. Before joining Community Action, he served as a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Mid-South, focusing on workforce development, community revitalization and education issues. Prior to that, Smith was the director of leadership development for the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities and during that time he worked closely with the Older Industrial Cities funder working group to allocate resources and oversee project execution.

Kristopher received his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Nova Southeastern University; and his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Bethune – Cookman University. Also, he participated in NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence in Community Development Program for Senior Executives at Harvard University, and received his certification in Entrepreneurship Education from Babson College.