Paul Smith
20-year EdTech marketing executive with a keen interest in brand strategy and storytelling.
"The engineers of tomorrow will be poets." - Terrence McKenna
About Me
Veteran marketing leader with experience as a marketing director, product marketer ,and product manager. Past companies include Apple, Pearson (PowerSchool), LearnSprout, and ChalkTalk. Former 4th grade teacher and forever summer camp counselor at heart.
How I Work
Long periods of extroversion (information gathering) followed by shorter, intense periods of introversion (execution). Product marketing is fueled by information, so tend to lean on relationships with teammates and colleagues across the edtech sector to broaden my perspective.
My Ethos
If the work doesn't speak to or support the mission, it's going to cause confusion both internally and externally.
Maintain focus on the mission, be consistently authentic, and tell the story of what is, not what will be or once was.
Get in Touch
I'm always happy to meet new colleagues. If you'd like to connect to share ideas or get my feedback on anything related to edtech or marketing, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm always happy to chat!
Personal Blog Posts
Journey Into the Center Of The World… of Student Information Systems
The Asteroid No One Is Talking About
Can PowerSchool Keep It Together?
Fasting for Life
Selling PowerSchool to Pearson was not Apple’s biggest mistake in K-12.
In his article, Mr. Chambers states that “…Apple’s decision to sell PowerSchool back in 2006 looks like one of the worst decisions in K–12 in quite possibly their history.”
I respectfully disagree. I believe the biggest mistake that Apple made in U.S. K-12 education was an apparent dismissal o