Former UC Davis football student-athlete Dwight Smith was named Executive Director for Athletics Diversity Equity and Inclusion in July, 2020, after previously serving as Intercollegiate Athletics’ DEI Lead and Student-Athlete Outcomes Advisor for the track & field and cross country programs since August, 2018. During his tenure as a Student Athlete Outcomes Advisor, Smith was named a 2019 Academic Advising Award recipient, garnering the award for Outstanding New Advisor.
In his current role, Smith guides Intercollegiate Athletics’ holistic pursuit of inclusive excellence, bringing an equity lens to department policies, practices and decision making. Additionally, Dwight cultivates and liaises with strategic campus and community partners to strengthen ICA’s capacity to serve all student-athletes, coaches, and staff, fostering an environment where every Aggie thrives and has a voice that is welcomed, heard, and valued.Â
After graduating from UC Davis in 2011 with a degree in community and regional development, he was selected to participate in Coro’s prestigious fellowship program in 2013. This non-partisan, non-profit organization is known nationwide for this program, which is dedicated to strengthening participants’ skill sets for ethical and effective leadership in public affairs and across sectors.Â
Once he completed that program, Smith garnered a diverse set of leadership experiences working for a variety of not-for-profit and start-up organizations in the social impact, ed-tech, and sustainability fields, delivering programs at scale and building organizational strategies for racial equity outcomes.Â
During this portion of his career, he also served on the board of directors for Coro Northern California and Pact, An Adoption Alliance, from 2014-17.
Dwight, his wife Yodit, and their dog Skye enjoy spending time together outdoors.
