Biography

Don Smarto speaks to over 10,000 youth each year. He has appeared on over 500 radio and television shows. He brings to his school and classroom presentations 35 years of experience. From early years   teaching in a high school in a crime and gang ridden neighborhood of Chicago to his work as a juvenile probation officer, he learned about troubled youth firsthand.   Don was the administrator of a juvenile facility, the director of an adolescent drug treatment program (featured on NBC News nationally) and taught Juvenile Delinquency classes at Wheaton College and Trinity University for 12 years. Don is currently a consultant to the State of Florida Juvenile Justice System in the area of mentoring. He has held executive positions with three national organizations and is the founder of Youth Direct, a national outreach to incarcerated youth. Don is the host of a weekly talk radio show in Dallas, Parenting Today’s Youth and presents parenting seminars across America. He is the author of 8 widely read books including Lost and Found, a blueprint for working with troubled youth which is used as a text book by many colleges and universities. Don has been married for 30 years and is the father of a son who is a professional artist. He and his wife reside in Dallas.