colorofchange.org
Longtime Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith to Join on Jan. 12, 2026
(Black PR Wire) Washington, D.C. — Recently, Color Of Change announced that nationally renowned civil rights leader Nadine Smith will become its new President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 12, 2026, bringing her principled leadership, strategic brilliance, and uncompromising dedication to justice to the nation’s largest online civil rights organization.
As the founding Executive Director of Equality Florida, Smith has been fighting battles that the rest of the country is just beginning to face. Smith has demonstrated again and again what it takes to win and defend civil rights, including defeating 29 out of 30 regressive bills over the past two years.
“From the moment we first spoke with Nadine about this role, we knew we had found the exact visionary our movement needs at this critical juncture in our nation’s history,” says Color Of Change Board Chair Heather McGhee. “Her three decades of tireless advocacy, her proven track record of turning impossible fights into victories, and her unwavering commitment to building power for overlooked and underserved communities make her the right person to guide Color Of Change.”
Said Smith: “I’m excited to join Color Of Change and build on its legacy. Millions are counting on us to reach our full strength. We have to turn grassroots energy into real power, stop those trying to drag the country backward, and counter media consolidation that puts both truth and democracy in the corrupt hands of a ruthless and fearful few.
I’m optimistic even in the face of cruelty because this backlash signals a dying order. Our job is not only to defend our communities’ right now but to build something stronger from what has been destroyed. The multiracial future our opponents fear is not only inevitable, it is the only future in which America survives and thrives.”
She has been a lifelong advocate for Black people, from her early days as one of the four national co-chairs of the 1993 March on Washington that drew one million pro-equality marchers to the nation’s capital, to the critical role she played in Florida’s Fair Districts campaign to end racial gerrymandering and make state legislative and congressional districts more representative of Black and brown voters.
Smith built Equality Florida, alongside the 501(c)(4) Equality Florida Action and Equality Florida Action PAC, into one of the nation’s most effective grassroots civil rights organizations, with other advocacy groups using it as the blueprint to win. Her leadership has always reflected an intersectional approach, uniting coalitions by strategically linking the threats poised by abortion bans, anti-LGBTQ+ attacks, racial inequity, and voter suppression as inseparable parts of the same struggle.
The innovator and her team coined the term “Don’t Say Gay” to describe a Florida law banning the acknowledgement of LGBTQ+ people in schools, developing a strategic media and organizing campaign against it transformed it from a quiet statewide initiative into a global symbol of political overreach. In response to the “Stop W.O.K.E.” law, Equality Florida built a grassroots army of parents to counter groups like the Proud Boys and the Moms for Liberty to stop the removal of books about civil rights icons and LGBTQ+ lives, warning that these bans were part of a coordinated campaign to erase truth and undermine democracy.
Now that assault on democracy is a national project, we need a leader who will not be intimidated by those who see our progress as a threat to their power. Nadine is that leader, with proven grit and a resolve that has only grown stronger with each challenge.
“Florida has been a testing ground for Project 2025, but when you get up close to the machine, you can see its cracks,” said Smith. “I’ve learned that our opposition will always falter in the face of smart strategies and powerful organizing, and that’s what Color Of Change brings to this moment.”
Smith has been named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, recognized by Lambda Legal, honored by the League of Women Voters, awarded the Black Voices for Black Justice Fund Award, and serves as chair of the Florida Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
She is a sophisticated communicator with deep appreciation for the power of narrative and understanding of the new media ecosystem. She began her career as an award-winning broadcast and print journalist — first at Tampa’s NPR affiliate, where her investigative reporting earned multiple honors, and later at the Tampa Tribune, then one of the largest newspapers in the Southeast.
Today, she hosts Wide Awake America, an award-winning radio show and podcast she created that has also become one of Substack’s fastest-growing independent media platforms. In just its first year, the show and Nadine’s social channels have built a following of hundreds of thousands amplifying grassroots voices and bringing vital news and analysis to the people who need it, beyond the paywall. She is also a strategic advisor to a network of progressive influencers, helping equip content creators to grow their impact and independence.
“Black people are at the leading edge of the new media ecosystem, and I believe Color Of Change is uniquely positioned to become the trusted media platform for our 7 million members and beyond,” said Smith. “We can break through the propaganda dome to expose the powerful and fuel an unstoppable grassroots movement.”
Said Color Of Change Education Fund Chair Jenn Stowe: “The stakes have never been higher for Black communities and for multiracial democracy itself. Now more than ever, we need a leader who will not be intimidated by those who see our progress as a threat to their power. Nadine is that leader, with proven grit and a resolve that has only grown stronger with each challenge.”
In 2025, Color Of Change has:
Mobilized Members
- Empowered hundreds of thousands of members to take action
- Reached thousands through town halls in Georgia, Michigan, and North Carolina within the past month on reproductive justice, economic policy, and corporate accountability
- Helped anchor mass resistance mobilizations, including Hands Off and No Kings rallies
- Organized squad calls that galvanized members against the neosegregationist agenda and efforts to remove Black history and art from the Smithsonian
Amplified Voter Protection
- Activated Black voters for YesOn50 victory in California, delivering a critical blow against authoritarian efforts to restrict democratic freedoms
- Led national redistricting fight to protect Black voter power and ensure that historic gains in Black voting rights are not erased
Advanced Economic Justice
- Led the fight for more equitable and affordable tax filing options and policy changes through advocacy
- Organized lobby day with members who visited more than 100 Congressional offices to stress concerns about the impact of the budget reconciliation bill on Black communities
This year marks Color Of Change’s 20th anniversary. It evolved from a small startup into one of the largest and most dynamic racial justice organizations, with millions of members demonstrating the power of Black communities by moving decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more humane and less hostile world for Black people.
“My family’s story, from organizing sharecroppers in Mississippi to mobilizing the first Black nurses in New York City, is part of a larger one of people who stood up to oppression and made a way out of no way,” said Smith. “Their courage keeps me optimistic even in the face of cruelty because we are witnessing the last gasp of a dying order. Our work is to defend our communities and build something stronger, more just, and truly multiracial, a future where everyone can thrive.”
With the Color Of Change team at Smith’s side, McGhee and Stowe say they are excited about what the future holds. They say that her approach reflects the values that have always guided Color Of Change: the belief that the equitable treatment of Black people benefits all of society, the understanding that collective action creates systems change, and the knowledge that our fight is rooted in centuries of struggle and sacrifice by those who came before us.
“Nadine doesn’t just fight for short-term wins — she builds institutions and movements that last,” said Stowe. “Under Nadine’s leadership, Color Of Change is prepared to deepen its impact, strengthen its organizing power, and meet the challenges ahead with focus, courage, and unity.”
Smith was selected after an exhaustive national search conducted by BoardWalk Consulting, a national executive search firm focused exclusively on nonprofits and foundations.
Read what allies and movement leaders are saying:
“Nadine Smith is an inspirational leader who moves with integrity and with a passion for defending the human rights of vulnerable people that is unmatched — particularly in a place like Florida, the too often dismissed outpost of the Deep South that has tragically re-emerged as a key laboratory for American autocracy. I couldn’t be prouder to call Nadine my friend and counselor, and could not be more thrilled to know that Color Of Change will be in such loving and capable hands. Congratulations good sister, and what a wise decision by this organization that is so crucial to the survival of our struggling democracy.” — Political commentator and TV host Joy Reid
“Nadine is fearless, strategic, visionary, and a fierce fighter. She has a calm assuredness that makes her a total force. She has the ability to stay focused on the long game while executing brilliantly in the moment. That combination of strategic vision and tactical excellence is exactly what Color Of Change needs right now. Well done.” — National Education Association Executive Director Kim Anderson
“Nadine doesn’t just talk about building power — she’s spent three decades actually doing it. We have seen her take on fights that everyone said were impossible and win them through strategic coalition-building and relentless organizing. Color Of Change is getting a leader who knows how to translate resources into results and vision into victories.” — Philanthropists John Evans and Steve Wozencraft
Learn more about Nadine Smith and her family that fueled her commitment to civil rights.
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by millions of members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.
Source: Color of Change