Caroline Smith studied at the University of London, ultimately specialising in the art of the early Italian Renaissance. Following a successful career as a classroom teacher in inner-city schools, Caroline began working in museum and gallery education in 2003, teaching at the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and Dulwich Picture Gallery. From 2005 she set up and ran the learning programme at Bethlem Museum of the Mind promoting the importance of creativity in wellbeing and using the collections to encourage conversations around mental health. She played a key role in the design and interpretation of the museum when it moved to a new expanded site and acted as its director in 2016-17. In her role at the National Gallery Caroline is keen to encourage learners to see the role that art can play in helping us ask difficult questions, make sense of our place in the world and prompt creative solutions.