Sophan S. Smith is a nonprofit executive, community leader, and storyteller with two decades of experience spanning the nonprofit, corporate, higher education, and workforce development sectors. She currently serves as Director of Development at La Vida Scholars, where she leads fundraising and development efforts to support high-achieving, low-income students in Lynn and Chelsea as they access and succeed in higher education.

Prior to joining La Vida Scholars, Sophan served for more than four years as Executive Director of EforAll Merrimack Valley, where she led a regional expansion of entrepreneurship programming, built high-impact community partnerships, and championed the voices of underrepresented entrepreneurs. Throughout her career, she has navigated leadership transitions, career pivots, moments of uncertainty, and opportunities that required her to step forward before she always felt ready.

A Cambodian American, immigrant, first-generation college graduate, and Lowell native, Sophan brings a deeply personal perspective to conversations about confidence, leadership, belonging, and finding one's voice. A proud UMass Lowell graduate, she believes that our stories, including the setbacks and moments when we question ourselves can become powerful sources of connection, confidence, and impact.