Kirby Smith

Kirby oversees a diverse portfolio of issue-oriented work including Higher Education, the Opioid Crisis, Contraceptive Choice and Access, and more. Prior to this role, Kirby held numerous other positions at Arnold Ventures, including director of venture development, vice president of strategy, and vice president of programs.

Before joining Arnold Ventures, Kirby worked as a management consultant in Bain & Company’s Chicago and Johannesburg offices, served as a fellow at the Civic Consulting Alliance in Chicago, and was an analyst focused on higher education and technology issues at Ithaka Strategy and Research. She has also worked as a project manager on a Baltimore-based education reform project, and as a language arts teacher at the American School of Sao Paulo.

Kirby holds a master’s of business administration and a master’s of public policy from the University of Michigan. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University.