Kane Smego

Kane Smego is a seasoned leader at the intersection of arts and cultural programming, social justice, and civic engagement. From co-founding a nonprofit serving over 10,000 youth a year in his home state of North Carolina, documenting the social movements in Egypt and Tunisia during the “Arab Spring”, or producing a touring one-man show exploring the legacies of race in the American South, Kane’s work merges local and global and is rooted in bridge-building across lines of difference. He is the Associate Director of Next Level, where he has spent more than a decade orchestrating a groundbreaking cultural diplomacy program sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that sends hip hop artists to over 50 countries to promote creative exchange, collaboration and community building. 

A sought-after presenter in the educational sector, Kane has delivered dynamic keynotes and workshops at over 85 colleges and universities and 50 K-12 schools nationwide. His compelling stage presence has led to invitations from prestigious platforms including TEDx, The Aspen Institute’s ThinkXChange, The National Association of Social Workers conference, and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. His work has been featured on NPR and American Public Media.

A bilingual English-Spanish speaker based in California, Kane is currently finishing his Master of Public Affairs at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy where he is a Constructive Dialogue Scholar. He is also Affiliate Faculty with the Program on Urban Peacebuilding at George Mason University’s Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution, bringing a rigorous academic lens to his work in democratic engagement.