Ted Smith

Ted Smith is the Executive Director of New Heights. He has been with the organization since 2005, when New Heights was established, as an independent non-profit after beginning as a pilot program under the Children’s Aid Society. In 2010, he took over the reigns as Executive Director and New Heights has grown from a pilot program to a nationally recognized sports-based youth development organization serving young people and families from across New York City. The organization will scale its operations and impact in 2021 with a new academic and athletic facility in the heart of Brooklyn.

Ted was born and raised in New York City. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Yale University (’00). As a student-athlete, he was a basketball Academic All-Ivy and District 1 Academic All-American. Ted then played professional basketball in England from 2000-2005. While in England, he worked as a Project Analyst at ARK (Absolute Returns for Kids), a social investor in charitable children’s projects. He received his Master’s Degree in Evidence-Based Social Work from Oxford University (‘04). He has also completed a certificate program at Columbia University’s Institute for Not-for-Profit Management.