Mark J. Smith, is the Executive Director for Community Engagement and Partnerships at the American Red Cross. In this role, Mark leads a team of partnership professionals dedicated to engaging national, regional and community partners committed to supporting individuals and communities as they prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Mr. Smith has been employed with the American Red Cross in a variety of capacities serving multiple lines of business including Disaster Services, Health and Safety Services, Chapter Operations and International Services. Highlights during this 18-year period include Regional Executive for both the Oklahoma and Mississippi Regions; Senior Director, Field Operations for the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Program; and, Regional Director for Africa Programs.

Prior to joining the American Red Cross, Mark worked for the largest minority led development organization focused on rural development in Africa – Africare. During his ten-year career with Africare, Mark has lived and/or worked in 36 sub-Saharan countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Senegal, Mozambique and Angola to name a few. During this employment, he led multi-disciplinary teams focused on Maternal and Child Health, Food Security, HIV/AIDS Programming and numerous post conflict interventions.

Mark has an undergraduate degree in International Development from the historically black college Lincoln University and an MBA from the George Washington University in Washington DC.