Dr. Amy Smith

Chief Learning Officer

Dr. Amy Smith is an academic innovator devoted to increasing access to higher education for all learners. Her career spans many of the biggest institutions in the world of online higher education. She’s held senior leadership positions at University of Phoenix, Capella University, and Colorado State University (CSU) Online.

Prior to StraighterLine, Dr. Smith served as the associate provost of CSU Online, where she significantly increased access and educational opportunity to students by offering graduate, undergraduate degrees, and certificate programs online. As dean of the School of Education for Capella University, she led the innovation and optimization of 38 graduate education programs, including master’s and doctoral degree programs in P–12 education and leadership, adult education, corporate education, higher-education leadership, and instructional design and online learning. She served as curriculum, language, and literacy chair for Concordia University Chicago, academic dean at the University of Phoenix, and held teaching positions at Western Oregon University and Kent State University.

Dr. Smith has served in nearly every role possible within education in K-12 and higher education. She has been a high school teacher, a department chair, and has served as a high school principal. As a principal in the Chicago Public School System, Dr. Smith directed the development and delivery of a three-year content literacy plan for all core subject areas, aimed at improving standardized reading test scores 20% per year. She served as VP of Training and Development for 14 years at Axiom Curriculum, a company specializing in corporate education and organizational development. As a professor and department chair at Concordia University Chicago she directed the growth of 18 master’s and doctoral programs into existing and new markets in 38 states and overseas, including Early Childhood Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Reading, ESL/ELL, Bilingual Education, Teacher Leader, and Differentiated Instruction.

Dr. Smith earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership: Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver, an M.Ed. in Public Administration and Supervision from National-Louis University, an M.A. in Secondary Education/English Education from the University of Akron, and a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado, Boulder.