Debra Richardson Smith, Ph.D. is a researcher, educator and artist. Debra’s professional experience in education includes teaching in a variety of contexts from pre-school to graduate school; program, curriculum and assessment design; and research and evaluation. Co-director of the Program Evaluation and Research Group at Endicott College, she leads research and evaluation studies in formal and informal education settings. Debra was also on the faculty of Endicott’s doctoral program in Higher Education Leadership. She was the founding director of the Collaborative Inquiry and Development Group at the University of Southern Maine where she led several research projects focused on teachers’ deepening understanding of students’ learning through assessment and collaborative inquiry. Her work over the past several years has focused on arts integration and literacy programs in New York City, New Orleans, Massachusetts, Florida and Maine. Debra earned a BA in Art from the University of Massachusetts, Boston; and an M.Ed. in Learning Environments and a Ph.D. in Educational Studies from Lesley University.