Tara Carter Smith joined the Ray Marshall Center as a Social Science Research Associate in October 2005. Ms. Smith is involved with several of the Center’s ongoing projects, including the Central Texas High School Graduate Data Center and the Central Texas Workforce Intermediary Initiative.
Prior to joining the Center, Ms. Smith was an analyst in the Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Policy Development and Research in Washington, D.C. During her tenure, Ms. Smith worked on a variety of issues, including: post-secondary education and training; adult literacy; targeted workforce development for youth, individuals with disabilities, and unemployed workers; and evaluations of demonstration research projects and the Workforce Investment Act.
Ms. Smith earned a Master of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin in May 2003. During her graduate studies, Ms. Smith worked as an intern at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, focusing on workforce development programs in community colleges. She also worked as a graduate research assistant at the University of Texas’ IC² Institute, primarily on a project examining the development of career aspirations by middle school youth.
Ms. Smith is a former teacher, with seven years of experience in preschool and elementary school classrooms. She holds a BS in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin.