About NSPRA
The Superintendents to Watch award recognizes school district leaders who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core.
Dr. Anthony W. Smith has led Clayton County Public Schools with a leadership style rooted in vision, connection and a clear belief that every student deserves a meaningful path beyond graduation. Since becoming superintendent in 2022, he has used communication as a central tool to align families, educators and community partners around that shared purpose.
A Leader Focused on Purpose and Direction
Dr. Smith’s work is driven by the belief that students should graduate not only with a diploma, but with a clear sense of where they are headed. That commitment has reshaped how the district talks about learning, opportunity and life after high school.
“Simply put, Dr. Smith embodies integrity, collaboration, and innovation. He leverages partnerships with local businesses, universities, and national organizations to expand opportunities for students and ensure that every child has the tools and support necessary to succeed. His vision is forward-thinking and transformative, which are qualities that make him a distinguished superintendent in Georgia.” — Benjamin Straker, Chairman, Clayton County Board of Education on behalf of the Clayton County Board of Education
Under his leadership, Clayton County has strengthened pathways that connect students to higher education, careers, and postsecondary opportunities, while building a district culture focused on clarity, equity, and support.
Building Bridges Between Schools and Community
Dr. Smith’s leadership is widely recognized for how it connects schools to the broader community, drawing on partnerships, faith leaders, and civic organizations to support students and families.
Key elements of this approach include:
“What sets Dr. Smith apart is his enduring dedication to building strong bridges between schools and the broader community.” — Pastor Melvin C. Smith
Dr. Smith’s professional stature extends beyond district boundaries. He has been invited to serve as a featured speaker at What’s Next ATL, highlighting the district’s alignment of K–12 education with workforce development. He was also selected to join Governor Brian Kemp’s Superintendent Roundtable, providing policy advocacy at the state level, and participates in the Georgia Superintendents’ Workforce Leadership Academy at the University of Georgia, where he contributes to shaping statewide workforce pipelines and postsecondary readiness strategies. These roles reflect his credibility and influence as a thought leader in education and workforce innovation.
Leading With Vision and Accountability
Dr. Smith’s communication program initiatives combine traditional and innovative strategies to ensure transparency, engagement and storytelling across all district stakeholders. Recognizing that authentic communication improves trust, he implemented the “No Dead Ends – 4 E Effect” campaign, a program that highlights student pathways to Enrollment, Enlistment, Employment and Entrepreneurship. This multi-platform initiative leverages website content, video storytelling, social media posting and local media to amplify student successes, including the Beyond Graduation series, which spotlights 2025 graduates navigating postsecondary decisions.
Dr. Smith has also prioritized community-focused engagement programs that address critical educational needs. One example is the Let’s Talk Literacy series, which hosts panel discussions bringing together educators, students, parents and community partners to advance literacy across the district. The September 23, 2025, session included senior leaders such as Chief of Staff for Clayton County Public Schools Dr. Douglas Hendrix, Sr., Atlanta Speech School Executive Director Comer Yates and family representatives to share practical strategies for promoting reading at home. The series provides free literacy resources, childcare, refreshments and multilingual interpretive services, creating an inviting space for solution-driven dialogue about foundational literacy experiences, the connection between oral language and reading, and the shared responsibility of families, staff, and community partners. By highlighting actionable steps, this initiative raises awareness and inspires collaborative action toward stronger readers at every level.
To engage the wider community, Dr. Smith hosts "Inside CCPS with the Superintendent" YouTube updates, advisory meetings—including a student advisory council session—and media interviews, providing real-time updates on district priorities, academic achievements and strategic initiatives. CCPS also employs social media campaigns, press releases, newsletters and a robust website to reach diverse audiences, ensuring transparency regarding funding, programs and student outcomes.
Key areas of impact include:
Communication Embedded as a District Priority
Dr. Smith embeds communication as a cornerstone of Clayton County Public Schools’ strategic plan, ensuring that every message, initiative and campaign aligns with the district’s vision for equity, student success and community engagement. Under his leadership, communication is viewed as a strategic driver that strengthens transparency, accountability and collaboration across all levels of the organization.
Transparency and accountability are key tenets of Dr. Smith’s approach. He maintains proactive media relations, ensuring that both successes and challenges are communicated clearly and responsibly. Through consistent messaging on initiatives such as E-SPLOST (Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), CCPS reinforces public understanding of fiscal responsibility and investment in educational facilities. Likewise, frequent reporting on Key Performance Indicators demonstrates the district’s progress toward meeting defined goals and maintaining alignment with the strategic plan.
To operationalize this philosophy, Dr. Smith has guided the Communications, Public Relations, and Marketing Division to focus on five key performance areas that strengthen impact and engagement:
“By embedding communication within the strategic plan, Dr. Smith ensures that every narrative, campaign, and stakeholder interaction reinforces district priorities and promotes shared ownership of student success. His leadership has positioned communication not merely as a vehicle for information, but as an engine for engagement, inspiration, and collective progress toward excellence.” — Ebony Lee, Chief of Communications, Public Relations, and Marketing, Clayton County Public Schools
B.A. - Mississippi State University; MPA - University of Georgia
I believe school PR/communications is what I was born to do! One of the biggest decisions a parent can make is where to send their child to school, and it’s an honor to share with our parents the engaging work that their children are doing under the guidance of world-class teachers and leaders. On any given day, in any given school, there are many stories to be told and I take that charge seriously. As school communicators played a key role in COVID-19 communications, storytelling was more important than ever – not only did I share information with parents about our protocols, but I also made over 80 visits to schools last year and told a variety of stories about how students were thriving with both in-person and distance learning options. I also worked with principals to determine best mitigation practices and helped make those pervasive, because positive action must be the foundation of what we are ultimately communicating. School public relations is incredibly complex and I love that each day brings a new challenge.
My greatest school PR success was completing 11 nationally-innovative school communication audits using a process of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. I am now in phase two of this project and am attending school council meetings to garner feedback from parents about school-level communication and how I can better support the work of their schools. One of the most significant findings is that as students take more ownership of their learning, they also take more ownership in parent communication. Therefore, next steps are to better prepare parents for this transition and to also determine best practices from exemplar teachers and coaches at the secondary level so we can strike the right balance with parents feeling informed and fostering student independence.
My greatest school PR challenge is overcoming rigidity. Like many PR professionals, I am detail-oriented and a self-described perfectionist. It’s a blessing and a curse to see when something is one pixel off, but the greatest challenge I have faced in my 13 years in this field is to learn to be more flexible. I might have an aversion to Comic Sans or Curlz, but it’s not the end of the world if those are a font favorite elsewhere. What’s more important is the bigger picture – staff and parents feeling well-informed and students growing and learning in positive school cultures. Instead of telling someone their website isn’t formatted properly, I now make a 2-3 minute screencast if I think there’s a quick tutorial I can offer to provide ongoing professional learning. By being much more flexible, I have deepened relationships and become better at supporting the most important job that occurs in our school system: teaching.
My favorite part of my job is the relationships. I often say that there is no substitute for showing up, and that’s why I make so many school visits each year. From getting to hold a gorgeous monarch butterfly to watching a vibrant student musical to seeing 3-D printing in action from engineering students, I have witnessed countless unique opportunities, and these experiences are just a small piece of what our students get to take part in each and every day. If I didn’t take the time to form relationships, I wouldn’t know that what students value is knowing that the photos I take may show up in their yearbooks. I wouldn’t know the myriad of annual activities that teachers do across our schools because I wouldn’t have witnessed them firsthand. I wouldn’t know about the families of our principals or what they believe makes their school unique. All of that is invaluable because at the end of the day and at the end of this career, relationships are what will remain – both professionally and personally.
The communication tool I use the most is Canva! I would be a brand ambassador if they asked! I am not very mathematically-minded and it can be challenging for someone with an eye for good design – but not an eye for rulers and gridlines – to be a graphic designer. However, Canva has made it possible and I am able to create aesthetically-pleasing graphics with short turn-around times. I have trained communication ambassadors at our schools how to use it as well. Right after Canva, the tool I most use is iMovie. I am completely self-taught in videography and using iMovie and Canva together has made me someone who can add “videographer” to their list of expertise.