The Board Also Extended a Thank-You to Outgoing Vice President Jon Kean for His Service
At its annual organizational meeting, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education re-elected Jennifer Smith as board president and elected Laurie Lieberman as vice president for 2025.
The board also extended a thank-you to outgoing vice president Jon Kean for his service.
Smith, who has served on the board since her election in 2020, expressed her commitment to advancing the district’s goals in her candidate statement: “By focusing on equity and access, empowerment, curiosity, and inclusion, I will continue to work to expand our abilities and create a wider umbrella for all students to find success,” Smith stated in her candidate statement for the 2024 election. “We will see new pathways emerging for our secondary students this year along with the expansion of transitional kindergarten, while providing educational as well as social and emotional supports in this post-COVID era.”
Smith has a long history of advocacy within the district, having served as PTA president at both her children’s elementary and middle schools, as well as Santa Monica-Malibu PTA Council President from 2016 to 2018. She co-chaired two voter-supported campaigns to secure funding for the district, among other roles.
Laurie Lieberman, the newly elected vice president, brings over a decade of experience on the SMMUSD Board of Education. First elected in 2010, Lieberman earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a J.D. from UCLA. She worked as an attorney for the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office for 13 years and has been involved in district PTAs since 1996.
