Sally Waterfield

Sally Waterfield serves as Program Director at Smart Families, an international school-based nonprofit founded in Houston, Texas. After 16 years as a classroom educator, she was inspired to leave teaching when a parent shared that their child would listen to her guidance on digital platforms more than to their own parents, highlighting a shift in family dynamics. In her current role, she builds and implements comprehensive programming that provides neuroscience-based education to teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, and students from kindergarten through 12th grade, with a focus on delaying social media until age 16, smartphones until high school, and maintaining phone-free campuses while prioritizing family values. The organization, which began partnering with 18 schools in Houston, now reaches 160 schools and approximately 36,000 students each year across the United States, Colombia, and England. Waterfield holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics from the University of Manchester (2004-2007), a Master's in Education from the University of Chester, and is currently pursuing a Master's in clinical mental health counselling at Midwestern State University. She collaborates with organizations including Elijah Rising and Screen Strong.