Welcoming Demetria Smith as PEAK Executive Director

A New Chapter for PEAK - A Letter from Executive Director, Demetria Smith

Dear PEAK Supporters, 

People understand stories. Stories stick with us well after the statistics have gotten fuzzy. As a Milwaukee native, I am familiar with the deficit-focused stories commonly used to describe our young people. When I joined the PEAK team five years ago, I was excited to be part of a strength-based organization that strives to shape a different story about our kids - who they are and who they will be. I have not been disappointed. 

At PEAK, leadership is learned and lived and people’s best selves are nurtured. Staff, families, partners, and board members work together to see the light in our young people and give them opportunities to shine. I have watched a kid who could barely summon the courage to say hello to a stranger grow into leadership and facilitate workshops for a roomful of people. I have watched nervous first-time campers stepping up to lead cabin activities. I have watched the crackle of excitement when participants in our school-based leadership programs are able to move their school culture improvement projects forward.

These are not exceptional stories here at PEAK. These are the status quo. 

As the new Executive Director, it is my privilege and commitment to build upon the foundation our staff, youth, families, and board members have established. Over the past five years, as the Senior Director of Programs, I have led the PEAK team in tripling the number of program offerings, providing school-based programs, expeditions, afterschool programming, and community programming, in addition to our signature summer camps. I am eager to keep this momentum going by not only continuing to provide extraordinary experiences but telling our young people’s leadership stories.

Together with you all, I want to help our community create a different narrative about Milwaukee’s young people that marvels at their power and recognizes the unique leader within each and every one of them. So drop me a line at dsmith@peakinitiative.org  if you’d like to talk about how we write that story together!  

Stay tuned, 

Demetria Smith
Executive Director