Miles V Smith, MBA

Miles Smith is a non-profit, social enterprise, and philanthropic professional. His background includes fundraising, sales and marketing, leadership coaching, philanthropic advising, family philanthropy, and non-profit board leadership.

Miles earned his MBA from Thunderbird, the Garvin School of International Management in Arizona and did his coaching training at the Coaches Training Institute and Falling Awake's Life Coaching Program.

In the nonprofit sector, Miles’ experience is focused on fundraising and leadership coaching. He served as Chabot Space and Science Center’s (Oakland, CA) Major Gifts Manager, leading Chabot’s individual and corporate fundraising efforts. He also consulted to the East Bay Community Foundation (Oakland, CA) to develop and implement its private foundation outreach initiative. Furthermore, he has served as a leadership coach to the Tides Foundation and the Horizons Foundation Leadership Program, and as a board member to Youth Speaks.

Miles has 10 plus years of sales, marketing, training, and strategy experience in the for-profit sector. Miles most recently served as Partner for Sunlight Electric (San Francisco, CA), a commercial solar energy design and installation firm. In addition, he was Director of Regional Sales for Collegeboard.com and Founder and Director of Baru Adventures.

In the philanthropic world, Miles has 15 plus years experience as an individual donor, a family foundation trustee, and philanthropic advisor. He has developed a strong knowledge of social change philanthropy and successful donor engagement strategies. Miles presents on a national level promoting family and community-based philanthropy and restorative justice initiatives. Recent speaking engagements include the Advisors in Philanthropy Conference, the Council on Foundation’s Community Foundation and Family Foundation Conferences, and the National Network of Grantmakers conference.

Miles lives in San Rafael, CA with his fiancée Sara. He enjoys swimming, biking, dancing, meditation, movies, BBQs, camping, skiing, traveling, close friends and family, and both the mountains and the ocean.

Catch a glimpse of some of Miles' photography.

recent photography