Molly Smith, AICP, REFP
thinkSMART planning, inc.
Molly Smith is an educational planner, facilitator, writer, researcher, speaker,
and community member. She is a Certified Planner – a designation awarded by the American Planning Association. Her consulting firm,
thinkSMART Planning Inc., is committed to the creation of learning environments that support the latest thinking in teaching and learning. The firm provides expert leadership in creating the learning plans, educational specifications, master plans and strategic plans for
educational facilities. Molly’s broad-ranging experience includes facility programming, master planning, space utilization analysis,
budget and financial analysis, and site selections for over 10 million square feet of educational space over the last 14 years. Ms.
Smith is a nationally-recognized authority on all aspects of k-12 planning as well as career technical facilities and adaptive reuse
for education. A natural presenter, Molly has addressed numerous practitioner-based audiences at national educational conventions.
She has written and spoken extensively on school planning techniques and school facilities’ connection to student improvement.
A seasoned planner, Molly is the rare individual who can shift effortlessly between right and left-brain thinking – effectively
connecting the abstract to the concrete. She is a natural extrovert with a passion for community involvement. Her skill as a
facilitator allows her to generate discussion, separate extraneous information, and build upon collective input to create consensus.
Molly is equally comfortable in the world of education and architecture, making her a valuable asset to both entities.
education
Master
of Architecture
Bachelor
of Architecture
certifications
and affiliations
American Institute of Certified Planners, Certification #119786, American Planning Association
Council of Educational
Facility Planners International, Past President SWR, Recognized Educational Facility Planner
relevant projects/ educational
- District
Master Plan, Carlsbad Municipal School District 2009-10 (in progress)
- District Master Plan, Santa Fe Public Schools 2009
- District
Master Plan, East Valley Institute of Technology, Arizona* 2007
- District Master Plan, Taos School District, Arizona* 2007
- District Master Plan, Rio Rancho School District, New Mexico* 2005
- Master Site Plan, Tustin Unified School District, California 2008
- Master Site Plan, Miami Unified School District, Arizona 2007
- Educational Specifications, New District Elementary Schools, Clovis Municipal School District, Clovis, NM 2009
- Educational Specifications, New District Middle Schools, Clovis Municipal School District, Clovis, NM 2009
- Educational Specifications, NATIVE Vocational Technology Center, NATIVE SD, Flagstaff, AZ 2009
- Educational Specifications, New District Middle Schools, Leander ISD, Leander, TX 2009
- Educational Specifications, Citracado Biotech/Medical Sciences High School, Escondido, CA 2008
- District Educational Specifications, Lyon County School District, NV 2008
- Educational Plan, Chandler Preparatory Academy Plan for Expansion, Arizona 2007
- Educational Specifications and Charette, Washoe County School District Regional Technical Institute, Nevada 2007
- Educational Specifications & Learning Plan, Leander Independent School District New Elementary Prototype, Texas* 2007
- Educational Vision Plan, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Pre-K to Post Secondary, Washington* 2007
- Educational Specifications & Learning Plan, Prototype Career and Technical Schools, CCSD, Nevada* 2006
- Educational Specifications & Learning Plan, Rio Rancho High School, New Mexico* 2006
- Educational Specifications Loneman Indian Tribe K-8, South Dakota* 2006
- Educational Specifications, New Middle School Prototype, AJUSD, Arizona* 2005
- Educational Specifications, Queen Creek Middle School, QCUSD, Arizona* 2005
- Educational Specifications, NW Career & Technical Center, CCSD, Nevada* 2003
- Educational Specifications, George W. Smith Junior High, MPS, Arizona* 2002
- Educational Specifications,
- Educational Specifications, Cesar Chavez High School, PUHSD, Arizona* 2000
- Educational Specifications, Abraham Lincoln Traditional School K-8, WESD, Arizona* 2002
- Educational Specifications, Bret Tarver Elementary School, CSD, Arizona* 2002
*completed before the formation of thinkSMART planning,
inc.
publications & presentations (selected)
CEFPI Midwest
Great Lakes Regional Conference, Columbus, OH . April 2009.
“Agile and
Appropriate: Northwest Career and Technical Academy”
CEFPI Pacific
Northwest Regional Conference, Vancouver, BC. May 2009.
“Planning Reaps
Rewards in Clark County” Smith, Molly. School Planning & Management. Spring, 2009.
“NWCTA:
2008 MacConnell Award Winner” Smith, Molly. CEFPI Communicator. Spring, 2009.
“Planning Strategies to Incorporate
Learning Styles into the Design Process”, CEFPI High Performing Schools Conference. Tampa, FL. Feb, 2009.
“Learning Environment
Matters”, CEFPI Conference, San Diego, CA 2008.
“What Really Works:
Presentation “LISD Good to Great” TASB/TASA Conference.
Jury Participant Planner of the Year, Council of Educational Facility Planners, Intl. 2007.
Presentation “LISD Good to
Great” CEFPI Southern Region.
“Adaptive Reuse for School Facilities.” NSSEA Conference,
“Building Community: A Post-Occupancy Look at the Maryvale Mall Adaptive Reuse Project.” Issuetrak CEFPI Journal, February
2006.
“Why Schools Should be Lean and Green.” School Planning and Management, June 2004.
Presentation “Career and
“Planning for Furniture and Fixtures to Last a Lifetime” School Planning and Management,
October 2002.
“Computer Labs: A Sensible Solution for the Foreseeable Future” School Planning and Management, June 2000.
Peters, Ron
and Smith, Molly. “New Schools from Old Space.” The Education Facility Planner, 1998, V-34, No. 3.
Professional Seminars for
the Council of Educational Planners, ASBO, NSBA, NSSEA, and ASU.
Guest Lecturer,