Dane Smith
Founder / Executive Director
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Specialty Topics
Financial Aid / College Success
Student Athletics / Youth Sports
Scholarships / Grants
Music Production / DJ Instruction
About Me
Dane Smith is a community leader and advocate for empowering youth through education, opportunities, and experiences. As the executive director of Next Generation Youth Programs (NGYP), he has dedicated his career to providing local youth with life-changing opportunities.
With a passion for financial literacy, Mr. Smith founded NGYP to equip young individuals with the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to navigate their education and career journey successfully. Through innovative programs, he ensures that students develop a strong foundation in financial literacy, enabling them to make informed decisions about their finances and future, as well as creating opportunities that provide experiences.
Alongside his role at NGYP, Mr. Smith serves as a board member for the Boys and Girls Club in Upper Marlboro, MD. In this capacity, he actively contributes to the development and implementation of programs that benefit the local community's youth.
Additionally, Mr. Smith holds the position of Assistant Director of Scholarships and Grants at Bowie State University. With over 16 years of experience in financial aid within higher education, he has garnered extensive expertise in assisting students in securing financial resources to pursue their educational dreams. Throughout his career, he has worked for esteemed institutions such as American University, Howard University, University of Maryland University College, and Wesley Theological College, where he served as the Director of Financial Aid.
In recognition of his expertise, Dane Smith also serves as a Financial Aid Consultant for the Higher Education Assistance Group. Through this role, he provides valuable guidance and support to educational institutions and students, ensuring equitable access to financial aid opportunities.
Dane Smith is driven by a deep commitment to unlocking the full potential of every young person he encounters. Through NGYP, his involvement in the Boys and Girls Club, and his contributions to the field of financial aid, he continues to make a lasting impact on the lives of countless individuals.
Dana Smith
Director- College Career Cru
Email:
Specialty Topics
Scholarship Strategy
Youth Financial Literacy
Small Business /Freelance Startup
Internship Strategy
About Me
Dana Smith is a passionate managing director of Next Generation Youth Programs (NGYP), an inspiring nonprofit organization located in Prince George's County, Maryland. She has dedicated her life to empowering young adults to become financially capable through the provision of invaluable workforce development opportunities, experiences, and resources. Dana's unwavering commitment has led to NGYP being selected as one of six local nonprofits to participate in the Ivy Community Charities of Prince George’s County Inc.'s first cohort for the Ivy VINE Incubator! The Ivy VINE incubator was designed to spur the economic development and capacity of emerging nonprofits in Prince George’s County and surrounding areas by providing an accelerator program of training workshops and networking opportunities to help grow community nonprofits.
As part of NGYP, Dana manages the College Career Cru initiative which assists college-bound high school students in minimizing or eliminating the need for student loans. Through this program, seven students from the fall cohort have already received over $200,000 in scholarships since its inception. To complement the initiative, Dana also provides further college and career counseling assistance to students in the program. She is a regular speaker at local high schools and universities where she participates in panel meetings and discussions.
Dana's upcoming book, the College Scholarship Strategy is a comprehensive guide that provides step-by-step instructions on how to effectively search for scholarship opportunities, craft persuasive applications, choose the best programs to apply for, master interview techniques, and more. The book is set to be released in August.