The UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative is thrilled to announce the appointment of Areca Smit as our new Executive Director. Areca, who has been serving on our Executive Leadership Team and as our Director of Communications, will bring steady and inventive leadership as we broaden our horizons and transition into a center.
Areca will assume the role previously held by Solaire Spellen (in an interim capacity), and Alexis Cobbins. Working closely with Solaire and Larry Rand on the Executive Leadership Team, she has been instrumental in strategizing the center's future direction, supporting the staff during a time of transition, and augmenting our development efforts. Areca will officially start in her new role on July 1.
With a strong background spanning education, non-profits, and government, Areca is uniquely qualified to lead our organization. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Sustainable Enterprise and a Bachelor of Fine Arts. A few of Areca’s roles prior to joining PTBi were Associate Director for Electronic Media at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings Law), Executive Director for PD Active, an organization that supports people impacted by Parkinson’s Disease, and U.S. Foreign Service Officer.
What sets Areca apart is her personal experience of giving birth prematurely. This experience has been a driving force behind her involvement as co-chair of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center's NICU Family Advisory Council and what brought her to our initiative in the first place.
Throughout her career and life, Areca has shown a commitment to community involvement and social causes. At PTBi, she has demonstrated this dedication to community matched with ingenuity through several projects, from teaming up across sectors to create our annual Hackers for Birth Justice to the Reflections from the Community Advisory Board, a video series that showcases the deep wisdom and skills gained by our community advisors.
“I don’t do things the way that everyone else does them or how expectations might dictate,” she noted. “I approach challenges by thinking deeply about the situation, hearing from our community members and stakeholders, and doing what is truly needed.”
Areca brings genuine energy and creative thinking to every space she’s in, and we are fortunate to have her to lead us as we continue in our commitment to undoing the disparities in Black maternal and infant outcomes through birth research by addressing and dismantling structural and interpersonal racism.
