As editorial manager, Smiles manages the editorial and production processes for all of Education Sector’s in-house publications, including major research reports, policy briefs, special projects, and commentary. She brings more than 15 years of writing and editing experience to the position, having served as associate editor of the biweekly publication Diverse Issues in Higher Education (formerly Black Issues in Higher Education), deputy business editor at Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News, and a copy-editor at several daily news publications, including The Plain Dealer, The Pioneer Press, and The Post Tribune. Most of Smiles’ writing has focused on issues facing minorities in higher education. At Diverse, she wrote numerous news articles on the concerns of minority students, faculty, and administrators in higher education; a number of feature articles on topics ranging from international education to health disparities research; and several profiles of emerging minority scholars and innovative programs at minority-serving institutions. At Education Sector, she recently co-authored the report “Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed.”
Smiles earned both a master's and a Ph.D. in English literature from the
