Mobilize.org

Maya Enista Smith

Chief Executive Officer
Maya@mobilize.org | @MEnista

Maya Enista Smith joined the Mobilize.org team in July 2005 as Chief Operating Officer. Today, she is the Chief Executive Officer of a growing and innovative Millennial organization whose mission is to improve democracy by investing in Millennial-driven solutions.

At 28 years old, Maya is a veteran in the public service sector, beginning her non-profit career 8 years ago. Maya has been active in public service since she was an undergraduate at Rutgers University, focusing mainly on voter empowerment and youth civic engagement. She began her career as the East Coast Coordinator for Rock The Vote at age 17, a position in which she registered over 30,000 young people. Through her work with Rock The Vote, Maya was awarded the first ever Rock The Vote “Rockin’ The Street’s” Award.

She continued her voter registration work when she accepted the position of National Field Director for the Hip Hop Civic Engagement Project, a project that grew out of the successful National Hip Hop Political Convention in Newark, NJ. Maya organized a 13 state campaign that registered over 300,000 new voters in the “hip hop generation.”

In addition to her work with Mobilize.org, Maya serves on the Advisory Board for CIRCLE, the Working Group for the Civic Health Index of the National Conference on Citizenship, and the Board of Directors for BoardSource. For her leadership, Maya has been awarded a YouthActionNet Fellowship, the Independent Sector NGEN American Express Fellowship, Utne Reader’s 50 Visionaries Changing Your World Award, WIN’s Young Women of Achievement Award and Gelman, Rosenberg + Freedman 20011 EXCEL Award for Excellence in Non-Profit Management. In addition to her accolades, Maya has contributed to this vibrant sector by serving on the host committee for the 2010 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in New York City, NY as well as serving as a grant reviewer for competitive grant programs at the Case Foundation and the Knight Foundation.

Most recently, Maya was awarded the competitive Prime Movers Fellowship of the Hunt Alternatives Fund. The Prime Movers Fellowship is a multi-year fellowship program for emerging and established social movement leaders working at the national level. Unlike other fellowships, the program emphasizes the professional development of individual leaders who engage masses of people. This focus allows leaders to think beyond their organizations and take on broader, more pivotal roles within their movements.

Maya, very proud of her Jersey roots, grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey and attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ and Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. She currently resides in Washington DC with her husband, David and her two black labs, Hudson and Zinny.