Dr. Jerry Smartt serves as professor of Spanish and director of foreign languages and has taught at Friends since 1975. In addition to the degrees listed below, she also studied at the Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico and the University of Madrid. She has presented her research (dissertation) in Havana, Cuba; Granada, Spain; Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; Kansas City, Kansas; and Wichita, Kansas. She has served as the president of the Kansas World Language Association, representing and advocating for world language teachers at the state and national levels. She is a member of the Wichita Area Sister Cities Board, serving as the chair of the Mexico Committee (for Tlalnepantla and Cancun). She has also served as president of the board three times. Dr. Smartt frequently serves as official translator and interpreter for Wichita mayors and the Wichita City Council. She has won awards for Leadership in Diversity (2017), Advisor to Kappa Phi chapter (2017-2018), Leadership in Language (2019) and in Innovation (2019). She is currently a member of the Wichita Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Education:
B.A., University of Texas; M.Ed., M.A., Ph.D., Wichita State University