CEO/President
Bio
Renada Chandler, CEO/President of Smart Kids, Inc. As Alumni of the University of Missouri St. Louis, Renada knows and understands the importance of education. As a former Substitute Teacher for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, she knew from early in her career that she wanted to help students in her community and other surrounding areas. In 2013, she founded Smart Kids, Inc. to help provide 1:1 tutoring and mentoring services to students living and attending school in low incomelow-income demographic areas. She understood the needs of the neighborhood children which she wanted to help and she knew that she had to do something to ensure that they got the academic services that they need
Vice President
Bio
Sonia Heard, Vice President has been making a positive impact for over 18 years at Washington University School of Medicine, where she provides patient services support to the pediatrics team. She is a St. Louis native who is passionate about serving the community in the medical field. She is dedicated to her current role as Vice President of the board at Smart Kids Inc., since the inception of the organization in 2013. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and shopping
Director of Fundraising Management
Biography
Valerie Elizabeth Young, Director of Fundraising is a loving mother of two, proud military veteran, talented poet, aspiring writer, and servant leader in her community. A St. Louis native, she is passionate about her personal growth and development, loves to express herself through poetry, and considers everything a life learning lesson. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s in Sociology and minor in Criminal Justice at SIU Edwardsville; an Associate’s from ITT in Criminology and Forensic Technology, graduating with honors as valedictorian; and a Master’s in Criminal Justice Administration from Lindenwood University. Valerie joined the board of Smart Kids, because of her passion for outreach in the community. As a mother, she can relate to many and enjoys using her experience to guide our youth to a fulfilling and rewarding future. Her greatest desire is to create a legacy that will equip, encourage, and inspire her children, and her children’s children to live their lives in ways that add value to themselves as well as others.
Board of Directors Member
Biography
Michael Elvin, Board of Directors Member, has 20 years of investment management experience. He currently is a Senior Portfolio Manager at Edward Jones. Before that, he worked in the hedge fund industry from 2011 through 2018, culminating with him managing his hedge fund that had $300 million in peak assets under management when he closed the fund. From 2005 through 2011, Michael was a Senior Portfolio Manager, Research Leader, and Vice President for Fidelity Investments where he managed $4 billion in institutional assets for clients such as Norges Bank, Ohio Pension Fund, and San Diego Fire and Police Pension Fund. From 2002 to 2004, Michael was an Equity Research Analyst for Kaintuck Capital. Michael is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, and has a CFAI Certificate in ESG Investing. He volunteers as a Financial Coach for the United Way. Michael has a BS degree in Management Science with Concentrations in Finance and Chinese from MIT. He has an MS degree in Finance from Boston College.