Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024 - 43

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
one of 16 children. Neither Ora Mae nor Smith's
mother, Caroline, had the opportunity to continue
schooling after age 16.
Growing up, Smith recalls that her father, Harold
Smith, was not connected to his Native American
roots. " At the time, there were many discriminations
against Native Americans, " says
Smith. " A lot of people, if they were living in urban
environments, might not emphasize that
they were Native American. It was only after my
father passed away and my grandmother was
still alive that I learned more about my heritage. "
To help close gaps in diversity and also pay tribute
to her grandmother and mother, Smith
launched the Caroline and Ora Smith Foundation,
a nonprofit organization that trains Native
American girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering,
and math) subjects.
SHAPING POLICIES
Smith's advocacy of Native American issues began
as soon she launched her legal career. After
moving to Washington, D.C., in 1994 to work as
a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice,
Smith served as associate director of the
White House Domestic Policy Council starting
in 1996, and then as associate counsel to the
president in compliance, ethics, litigation, and
legislative affairs.
" I worked in a number of different policy areas
when I was in the White House, including civil
rights, women's issues, domestic violence,
homelessness, and Native American issues, "
Smith says.
One of the first initiatives she worked on involved
the installation of defibrillators in federal
buildings. " It is important to remember that over
20 years ago, defibrillators were not as commonplace
as they are now, " Smith says. " Surprisingly,
there was stiff opposition against the installation
of the defibrillators from some of the doctors involved
in the process. After three years of building
coalitions and amassing additional medical
evidence to support the investment, we worked
with top people to craft legislative language
with a workable solution that satisfied all the
constituencies. Today you can see defibrillators
in every airport and public building, and I am
glad to have been a small part of that. "
After leaving the White House, Smith went on
to become a senior associate at Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP focusing on governmental
investigations and securities class actions,
senior litigation counsel at Tyco International,
general counsel at the Illinois Department
of Insurance, and CEO of the Indian Health Service.
" During
my time [at the Indian Health Service],
I worked on a number of initiatives, including
creating a framework that utilized data analytics
to improve services, allocate resources, and deon
a host of activities, including a listening tour
and community forums in swing states to improve
election worker safety, increase public
dialogue, and reduce polarization.
" We picked states where there are election issues
of which we are aware, " Smith says. " [The
listening tours] bring together lawyers, election
officials, and members of the media to educate
and energize the general
public about our
democracy and the
rule of law. After each
session, we form a
next-steps committee
that is going to continue
the work in their
communities. "
To inspire lawyers to
continue advancing
the rule of law and increasing
dialogue and
civility, Smith also
launched the ABA
Presidential Speaker
Series, featuring several
trailblazing guests,
including American labor
leader and civil
velop the workforce, " Smith says. " The overarching
goal was to improve health outcomes in
each and every community we served. "
Today Smith is an independent board member
of the Indian Health Service; she also serves on
the boards of PTC Therapeutics, a global biopharmaceutical
company, and the HAI Group, a
leading member-owned insurance company for
the affordable housing industry. Currently she is
also vice chair of the national consulting firm
VENG Group.
LEADING WITH IMPACT
Smith began her tenure at the ABA at a time
when the country was facing unprecedented
threats to its democratic values and the legal
profession was being transformed by artificial
intelligence technology.
Smith and the ABA sought to address those two
issues with the Task Force for American Democracy
and the Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence.
Cochaired by former federal Judge
J. Michael Luttig and former secretary of Homeland
Security Jeh Johnson, the bipartisan Task
Force for American Democracy has embarked
rights activist Dolores Huerta, U.S. Department
of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, and filmmaker
Martin Scorsese.
The two task forces and other initiatives have
led to increased engagement in the ABA community,
Smith says. " We estimated [a] gain [of]
between 5 to 8 percent growth in followers, year
over year, [but] we are outpacing that now, " she
says. " We have gained almost 12 percent [more]
followers. I am also proud that we have embarked
on a strategic planning process to chart
the future of the association. "
" A large part of the reason I wanted to be ABA
president was to serve the [legal] profession, "
Smith says. " After my tenure, I will continue serving
the ABA and on corporate boards. "
And Smith's ongoing work with the Caroline and
Ora Smith Foundation allows her to carry on
her passion for addressing the injustices that her
mother and grandmother suffered and to make
a difference in the community and beyond.
Reach D.C. Bar staff writer John Murph at
jmurph@dcbar.org.
JULY/AUGUST 2024 * WASHINGTON LAWYER 43
American Bar Association
Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024

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