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As chief executive administrator for JEDI at HMHI, Smith works to implement necessary programmatic changes and policies related to JEDI into the foundational work of HMHI. Smith integrates JEDI principles and practices into many of HMHI’s strategic priorities, including the programming and building of the new Translational Research Building and Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental ������ο��Ƶ Crisis Care Center facilities, along with HMHI’s national anti-stigma campaign. Smith leads the JEDI committee in the Department of Psychiatry and serves as lead for JEDI on all HMHI initiatives.

Smith, a professor in the , is one of ’s most influential scholars. He has written extensively about micro-aggressions experienced by Black faculty and students and coined the term “racial battle fatigue” in 2003. Smith developed the racial battle fatigue framework to describe the psychophysiological symptoms—from frustration and anger to anxiety and depression—experienced by people of color. The term is now widely used throughout academia and in the media to analyze, describe, and deepen understanding of the physical and mental health impact of racism.

Smith’s work has appeared in many prestigious journals, such as the “International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education,” “Harvard Educational Review,” “Educational Administration Quarterly,” “American Educational Research Journal,” and “Race Ethnicity and Education,” among others. Smith is highly sought after for presentations and interviews both nationally and globally. He has provided more than 100 keynote presentations and discussions over the past two years to government leaders, Fortune 500 companies, and college campuses. In 2021, he was awarded one of ������ο��Ƶ of Utah’s highest honors, the Distinguished Professor Award for Scholarly Research, and he was awarded the Black faculty and staff’s highest award, the James McCune Smith Award of Veneration.

Smith received his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Eastern Illinois ������ο��Ƶ in psychology and his Ph.D. in educational policy and sociology/social psychology. His appointment as chief executive administrator for Justice, Equity, and Diversity began July 1, 2022.