Johanna Smith is a Professor of Theatre, Puppetry, Improvisation, and Entrepreneurship and the author of Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education: Head, Hands, and Heart (Methuen Drama) which is an inaugural winner of UNIMA-USA's Nancy Staub Publications Award. Favorite projects include taking student puppeteers on professional tours of Bulgaria and China, creating a show in collaboration with the Water Resources Institute, and directing puppet shows for the Monterey Aquarium. She is a subject specialist for the California Arts Project and presents frequently about puppetry education all around the world. She is currently collaborating with Kenyan puppeteers on a TV show about Kenyan wildlife.