Groundwork USA is honored to welcome Christina Smith as the new Executive Director of Groundwork Bridgeport. Born and raised in Bridgeport, CT, until the age of 12, Smith brings to Groundwork Bridgeport a deep commitment to her hometown as well as a wealth of urban planning and financial management experience, serving most recently as Bridgeport’s Director of Central Grants.

Smith has lived in Bridgeport on and off her entire life. After earning a B.A. in Economics from Princeton and working in the financial industry in a variety of roles, she pursued graduate studies “with the specific aim of returning to Bridgeport to make my hometown better and restore it to its former glory!” Smith holds an M.A .in Historical and Sustainable Architecture from New York University and an M.Sc. in Urban Regeneration from University College London, Bartlett School of Planning, where she focused on brownfields redevelopment.

Just weeks into her new role, Smith hopes “to reconnect [Groundwork Bridgeport] to the broader community and act as a local resource for organizations both within and outside of the city who seek to do community development, with a particular focus on the physical environment. My goal is to create, grow, and expand programs to meet the current needs of the city including in the areas of urban farming, urban forestry, and urban agriculture. Our work with youth and education will focus on these areas.”

When she’s not busy at the helm of Groundwork Bridgeport, Smith enjoys learning new languages — she’s studied seven to date — creating art, and traveling.