Dr. K. Veronica Smith
Lead Educational Consultant
Dr. K. Veronica Smith is the lead Educational Consultant for Third Act Development. She brings decades of leadership experience to organizations seeking strategic guidance, organizational improvement, and stronger outcomes for children and communities. As a former Acting Superintendent of the Mount Vernon City School District, Dr. Smith has built a distinguished career around a fundamental belief: all scholars can learn, achieve, and thrive when provided with high-quality instruction, equitable opportunities, strong leadership, and appropriate supports.
Dr. Smith has particularly deep roots in Mount Vernon. A graduate of Mount Vernon High School, she returned to serve the community that shaped her, rising over more than two decades through progressively responsible executive and administrative positions to lead the district as Acting Superintendent of Schools beginning in February 2023.
As Acting Superintendent, Dr. Smith led the district through a consequential period of academic, fiscal, and organizational transformation—overseeing a complex system serving thousands of students and families with a budget exceeding $270 million. She championed accountability, transparency, and operational efficiency while undertaking difficult but necessary restructuring to strengthen the district's long-term sustainability and protect its educational mission, all while rebuilding confidence among families and community stakeholders.
Academic achievement was central to her leadership agenda. Dr. Smith introduced "Back to Basics," a concentrated focus on Reading, Arithmetic, and Writing (RAW), later expanded into "Back to Basics Forward to Mastery," advocating for rigorous, engaging, hands-on instruction designed to meet students where they were while accelerating growth. Under her leadership, the district achieved its highest graduation rate in roughly two decades, Mount Vernon High School advanced to a School in Good Standing, and the district's STEAM Academy became one of New York State's higher-performing schools. She also expanded Career and Technical Education pathways, after-school programming, robotics, esports, and student leadership initiatives, consistently emphasizing the whole child through both academic achievement and social-emotional wellness.
A significant portion of Dr. Smith's career has been devoted to advocating for students with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. As Supervisor of Special Education, Associate Superintendent of Student Services and Guidance, and Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services, she oversaw special education, guidance, attendance, enrollment, and related student-support systems—championing online student registration and leading efforts to return students with autism from costly out-of-district placements into district programs, generating approximately $1 million in savings.
Dr. Smith's leadership has consistently emphasized transparency, parent engagement, and community partnership. Her contributions were recognized by the Mount Vernon Branch of the NAACP with its Leadership Award in 2023. She earned her Doctorate in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher College, a Master of Science in Administration from New York Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Science from Iona College.
Following her distinguished career in public education, Dr. Smith founded Purpose Driven Consulting LLC to extend her impact beyond a single school system, drawing on her expertise in executive and instructional leadership, organizational transformation, strategic planning, and fiscal stewardship to help institutions translate vision into measurable results. Her career reflects a leadership philosophy grounded in purpose, courage, accountability, and service—committed to building stronger systems so that every student can succeed.