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NAIMA J. SMITH
A native of Yonkers and White Plains, NY. Naima attended Yonkers and White Plains Public Schools. She graduated White Plains High School, class of 1990. Naima attended North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance, class of 1994. Naima began her first full time job at The Bank of New York where she worked as an assistant to the Vice President of Municipal Banking. Naima decided to obtain her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance and Human Resource Management. In May of 1999, she graduated Cum Laude from Pace University, Lubin School of Business with a MBA. In October of 1997, Naima began her career at Diversified Investment Advisors where she was an Assistant Manager of the Call Center, a Financial Assistant, and a Manager of Finance & Human Resources of the Information Technology department.
In her spare time Naima has always been involved with helping children in the community, as a Youth Advisor, actively involved in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. youth groups and currently the Youth Minister at Calvary Baptist Church in White Plains, NY. She has such a love and passion for children that she could not ignore her natural ability and calling to teach any longer. Naima took the step and decided to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. In September of 2003, Naima was employed as a middle school teacher at Commerce Middle School in Yonkers, NY. In September of 2004, Naima was employed by White Plains Public Schools as a Business Educator at White Plains High School. At WPHS, she taught, 21st Century Computers, Marketing, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Accounting, Finance and Business Management. While teaching and becoming involved in the school community, Naima enrolled in the SUNY New Paltz, Education Administration program and graduated in May of 2007. To further her commitment to life-long learning and her calling, in October of 2017, Naima completed the Institute of Youth Ministry Certificate Program at Princeton University Theological Seminary. Naima is currently enrolled at New York University in the Educational Leadership and Innovation Doctoral Program.
In November of 2010, Naima was employed by Peekskill City School District as an Administrator and Extended Day Coordinator at Peekskill Middle School and in July of 2016 moved with the class of 2020 to Peekskill High School as the Assistant Principal where she currently serves in this capacity. In addition to her busy work life, Naima is most proud of being a super awesome mom to her son Tyler who is 12 years old. Naima is a woman of God and truly believes that God placed her at Peekskill for such a time as this. She loves her students and staff members as family and always expects excellence from both. She lives by the motto: “To whom much is given, much is required” and being a “Servant Leader”. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Not everybody can be famous. But everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve...You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”
