Eshauna Smith was appointed the first president of StriveTogether in Cincinnati, Ohio. She most recently was with of Ballmer Group and Urban Alliance.
Smith will serve alongside CEO Jennifer Blatz to drive organizational alignment, strategy and innovation to move faster across the Cradle to Career Network and the broader place-based partnership field.
According to an announcement from StriveTogether, one of Smith’s first priorities will be helping to launch a field hub to attract and support the next generation of place-based partnerships via emerging technology, capacity-building supports and the coordination of strategic partnerships to elevate the field and the important role it plays in advancing economic mobility.
Smith has more than two decades of field experience and executive leadership, including a long-standing relationship with StriveTogether and the Cradle to Career Network. As director of community impact at Ballmer Group, she spent years deploying resources to the national field of place-based partnerships. As CEO of Urban Alliance, she led the organization through a period of significant growth. Previously to the Urban Alliance, she helped launch a place-based partnership in Washington, D.C., while serving in the mayor’s office.
