William Smith

Will Smith is the Executive Director of LEAD Africa. Founded in 2018, LEAD is a network of African leadership academies that are founded and run by local champions. Each academy is based on the model of LEAD's flagship, Monrovia Football Academy in Liberia, which Will co-founded in 2015.

In addition to his work at LEAD and Monrovia Football Academy, Will has consulted for sport for social change organizations in Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, the UK, and Zimbabwe. As a social entrepreneur from the United States, Will advocates for a radical rethinking of international development, with a focus on increased investment in locally-driven, evidence-based solutions.

Will holds an MSc in African Studies from Oxford University, BA’s in Government and French from the College of William & Mary, and a degree in social entrepreneurship from Santa Clara University. He is a 2018 Cordes Fellow and one of 40 global leaders on the Barça Foundation and UNICEF's Working Group on Sport for Development.

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