Sophan Smith is the executive director of Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) in Lowell, MA. EforAll is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help under-represented individuals get the training and support they need to start and grow their own business. Through their free, one-year Business Accelerator programs, featuring hands-on business training and dedicated mentors, EforAll has been able to help well over 700 businesses launch. In 2020, these businesses generated over $43M in revenue and provide 1,329 local jobs. In this role, Sophan serves as a visionary leader to raise the profile of EforAll Lowell while strengthening relationships with organizations and leaders connected to EforAll’s mission and purpose. In addition, she develops and implements a comprehensive fundraising plan while managing the day-to-day operations. Sophan’s professional career has come full circle. In her early career journey, Sophan worked with the Merrimack Valley Small Business Center which provided business development services to entrepreneurs from ethnically and economically diverse groups within the Lowell area. She was in this role for 4 years before leaving to pursue a new career journey in Boston. For almost two decades, Sophan spent her time working with institutions such as the Boston Private Industry Council, UMass Boston, State Street Bank and Junior Achievement. Sophan currently serves on several steering committees and boards, including the Asian Community Fund, Mosaic Lowell and Launch Your Business Now at Middlesex Community College.

Sophan is a Khmer American, born in Cambodia at the height of the Khmer Rouge War, relocating to Lowell as a refugee with her family at the age of 2. Sophan is a self-taught baking enthusiast. She enjoys cooking traditional Khmer dishes and hosting dinner parties at her home. She resides in Dracut with her husband, Charles and their two children, Natya and Kenneth “KJ”.

Sophan is a first-generation college graduate and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.