About Us
Our History
2015
2016
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2024
2025
Founding
LEAD MFA
Will Smith founded LEAD Monrovia Football Academy as the first school in Liberia to combine high-quality education with football training and promote 50:50 gender equity.
LEAD MFA’s First
Classroom
The academy started with just 27 students in one rented classroom and football pitch in Central Monrovia. In its first year, the organization garnered the support of thousands of community members, including the former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
LEAD Edu
Launches
As interest grew in replicating the LEAD MFA model, Will established LEAD Edu to support a global network of leadership academies and laid the groundwork for international expansion.
Expanding to
Morocco
After researching potential sites across several countries, LEAD Edu opened the second LEAD Hub in El Mansouria, Morocco. LEAD Morocco began with 42 students in a half-day school model combining academics and sport. The successful expansion of the LEAD model was made possible through the dedication of the founding leaders of LEAD Morocco, Soufiane Najah El-Idrissi and Fatima Azzahra Benfares, who continue to expand the program's reach and impact.
Victory at the
USA Cup
LEAD MFA’s U-15 girls’ team made history by winning the USA Cup in Minnesota. Their victory helped spur the Liberian Football Association to fund clubs in the First, Second, and Women’s Upper divisions. Today, LEAD MFA students and alumni play on the Liberian Women’s National Team.
Responding to the
COVID-19 Pandemic
In response to global school closures, LEAD Edu partnered with Orange Liberia to broadcast radio-based leadership lessons across Liberia, Morocco, and Bangladesh—reaching over 135,000 children. What began as an emergency solution evolved into LEAD Learning, which is now a growing initiative focused on play-based, social-emotional learning.
Building the LEAD MFA Campus
With support from Nobel Laureate and LEAD Advisor Leymah Gbowee, LEAD MFA purchased 10 acres in Careysburg to build its future campus. Between 2019 and 2020, the first phase was completed, including a 16,500 sq. ft. academic building. Students and staff moved in January 2021.
She Plays
Football
She Plays Football is an annual program at both LEAD Hubs designed to promote girls’ participation in sports and challenge gender norms. She Plays Football was created and launched in February 2021 by LEAD Morocco’s leadership, with support from the U.S. Embassy, as a caravan program across Morocco. It traveled through three cities, culminating in a national camp later that year. Since its inception, the program has impacted over 600 girls through inclusive coaching and activities that build confidence, leadership, and a sense of belonging.
U.S. Scholarships
for LEAD MFA Students
Since 2022, seven LEAD MFA students have earned athletic and academic scholarships to top U.S. schools, including Westminster School, Indian Mountain School, and South Kent School. LEAD Edu continues to facilitate these pathways to connect student-athletes with transformative global opportunities.
LEAD MFA
Graduates its First Senior Class
LEAD MFA celebrated a major milestone with the graduation of its first senior class marking nearly a decade of academic, athletic, and leadership development. In the same year, LEAD Edu’s founder, Will Smith, stepped down as Executive Director and appointed Anita Farsad as the new Executive Director to lead the organization into its next chapter.
New Boys’ Dormitory at LEAD MFA
The boys’ dorm was completed in the Fall of 2024, providing residential space for 80 student-athletes.
Advocating for Social and Emotional Learning
LEAD Edu and LEAD Morocco partnered with the EASEL Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education to adapt and contextualize SEL Kernels, a play-based approach to social-emotional learning, in the classroom and on the pitch at LEAD Hubs. This partnership embodies our commitment to evidence-based learning and impact.
Our Future
Where We’re Going
Looking ahead, LEAD Edu will support local efforts to scale impact in Liberia and Morocco, identify new geographies for LEAD Hub expansion, facilitate next steps for LEAD Hub graduates, and support a growing network of 200+ alumni.
Ready to LEAD?
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