Dr. C. Michael Smith is an accomplished educational leader in the United States and internationally. He has held executive positions in international universities and accrediting agencies, and has served as CEO of public trusts in support of improved K-12 education. In August 2009 he was named the President of the American University of Afghanistan.

While he served the American University of Nigeria from 2005-2009, the university grew from 124 students and 14 faculty members to 1200 students and 85 faculty members. Prior to joining the American University of Nigeria, Dr. Smith was Director of the Commission for Academic Accreditation in the United Arab Emirates from 2002-2005. In this role he advised the UAE Minister of Higher Education on matters related to higher education quality.

In the United States, Dr. Smith served as President of the Hillsborough Education Foundation in Tampa, Florida, and CEO of the Philadelphia Education Fund, the nation’s second largest education fund. In these capacities, he raised over $40 million in support of education. From 1982-90 he was as Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Winthrop University.

Dr. Smith is a graduate of the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University and holds a Ph.D. in British and American Literature from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. He has served on a number of boards and committees and on the faculty at Winthrop University, University of California, and Los Angeles.