Education Portfolio Manager

Dr. Janine Smith

Dr. Janine Franklin, affectionately called Dr. J, leads our postsecondary and K-12 portfolios. She is a DEI leader committed to educational equity in the city of Chicago. Formerly, Janine championed college access, persistence, and success for Black youth in Chicago as the Vice President of Programs and Evaluation for LINK Unlimited Scholars. She focused on fostering not just academic excellence for scholars, but also strong leadership skills and a deep sense of identity.

Prior to joining LINK, she was the Senior Director of Student Culture and Support for Noble Schools driving transformational change through student experience initiatives as well as the Associate Director of Pipeline Programs for the University of Chicago, managing campus pathway programs for BIPOC, low-income, and first-generation students. Janine's dedication extends beyond her professional work. She actively serves on numerous boards, including the IL Advisory Board for Mikva Challenge, STEAM and Dream, and The Chance Center. She is a Surge Institute alumna, an IMPACT alumna, a 35 under 35 honoree (Chicago Scholars), and a 40 under 40 honoree (Black Women’s Professional League). Janine is a proud Badger (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and also holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Doctor of Philosophy from the department of Education Policy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In her free time, Janine is a lover of travel, shoes, and live music.