Primary Job Title Co - Founder & CEO Primary Organization 
Rocketship Education
Location San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States Regions West Coast, Western US Gender Male
LinkedIn View on LinkedIn
Preston Smith co-founded Rocketship Education in San Jose with John Danner in 2006.
Prior to founding Rocketship, Smith was founder and Principal of L.U.C.H.A. Elementary School, part of the Alum Rock Unified School District in San Jose, CA. After its first three years of operation, L.U.C.H.A. was the fourth highest performing low-income
elementary school in California.
Smith began his career in education as a Teach for America Corps (TFA) member at Clyde Arbuckle Elementary School (CA). In 2003, Preston was named "Teacher of the Year" at Arbuckle and was also nominated as one of six finalists for TFA’s Sue Lehmann award, given to TFA corps members with the highest classroom academic gains in the nation.
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from San Jose State University and is an Aspen New Schools Fellow.
