Maya Payne Smart 

Areas of Expertise: Early Literacy, Family Literacy, Family and Community Engagement, Professional Learning 

Maya Payne Smart serves as affiliated faculty in Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education at Marquette University.  She is a leading expert in everyday early literacy practices for families.   

She’s passionate about getting young children off to a smart start and her practical, evidence-based insights have been featured in major national media outlets including CBS Mornings, TIME, and PBS, as well as numerous other publications and broadcasts. She's a sought-after speaker who has presented keynote addresses and workshops for thousands of attendees at prominent conferences nationwide within the library, early education, and K12 sectors.  She is the creator of The TALK Method, a framework used to successfully boost the quantity and quality of early language environments in home, childcare, and school settings.  

Maya Payne holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in social studies with honors from Harvard University. She is the author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six.