Committed to Education through Equity

Dr. Shipman-Smith’s career started in Fresno, California where she focused her efforts as a classroom
teacher, site leader and principal in the areas of instructional improvement for turnaround model
schools and creating a high performing school culture focused on student needs. Her role in site
leadership earned her and her team numerous accolades locally and internationally for creating
a positive impact for the students and families she served.

 

Her extensive experience in school leadership partnered with her vast knowledge of fiscal and resource management provided her the opportunity to have a positive impact at multiple secondary school sites within the Fresno Unified School District during her 12 year tenure working there. In Fresno, she served as the administrator of four separate multi-million dollar state and federal grants and worked as a teacher on special assignment and administrator focused on categorical program management and data analysis before serving in the role of school principal and central office administrator. 

Since 2015, Dr. Shipman-Smith has worked across the Southern California region. During her time with the San Diego County Office of Education, she has supported more than 45 districts and charters through the LCAP development, review, and approval process. She reviewed, provided feedback and approved more than 250 Local Control Accountability Plans.

 

She holds critical expertise in navigating districts and charters through the Differentiated Assistance process, support for long-range planning, and building data literacy among site and district teams. Dr. Shipman-Smith has vast expertise in scaling data systems, developing customized data visualizations, coaching leaders in developing data literacy, and building leader capacity for continuous improvement.

 

She holds a certificate in Race and Equity Leadership in Schools from Harvard University, a
Certificate in Improvement Science in Education from the University of Michigan, and is a Certified
Chief Business Official (CBO) through the California Association of School Business Officials
(CASBO).

Kristine earned her doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of
Southern California and is a published author of multiple peer reviewed articles focused on
instruction, organizational improvement, new teacher support, leadership development, and
change management. She continues to serve the Southern California region in her county office capacity and works with multiple schools and districts across the state through a range of consulting services. 

As a Latina in leadership, Kristine is passionate about equity and systems change in support of
all learners. She is an active member of the Southern California Chapter of the California
Association of Latino School Administrators (CALSA), and the Association of Latino School
Administrators (ALAS) while also holding membership in ACSA.  

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Dr. Shipman-Smith’s research in the area of eliminating barriers for underrepresented minority leaders to advance into senior district leadership roles continues to drive her to build capacity in leadership at all levels of school organizations.