About the Author:
Janet Crenshaw Smith is cofounder and President of Ivy Planning Group (Ivy), a 17-year-old management consulting and training company that specializes in diversity, strategy and change management. Ivy is recognized as one of the Top 50 Diversity-owned companies by DiversityBusiness.com; Black Enterprise Magazine Emerging Company of the Year Finalist; and received the Working Woman magazine Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. Ms. Smith was honored as a Diversity Pioneer by Profiles in Diversity Journal. Minority Business & Professionals Network, Inc. named Ms. Smith one of Fifty Influential Minorities in Business . Profiles in Diversity Journal featured her in its Women of Initiative issue naming her one of 47 Women Worth Watching. Ms. Smith is author of the popular 58 Little Things That Make a Big Impact: The MicroTrigger Book and The Diversity Action Book: 143 Things To Go Do. Smith is an engaging speaker and is frequently quoted in national publications on the topics of diversity, change management, and leadership. She and her husband are profiled in DreamMakers: Putting Vision & Values to Work, a book that chronicles how leading edge organizations are able to succeed and realize their vision and values. In addition to the stories of such outstanding individuals as David Cole, former president of America Online, and Joe Brodecki, fund-raiser for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Janet and Gary Smith, founders of Ivy Planning Group, are profiled for building a premier strategy firm - one of the leading Black-owned consulting firms in the country. Ms. Smith works directly with corporate CEOs, executive teams, agency administrators, and senior officials to build strategies, facilitate challenging discussions, and achieve the organization s vision. Ivy s clients include MetLife, Nike, UBS Investment Bank, L Oreal, Deloitte Consulting, Herman Miller, Verizon, Lehman Brothers, Lockheed Martin, Allianz, Target, Progress Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, and U.S. Department of the Treasury. A native of Chicago s south side, Janet attended Chicago public schools, graduating valedictorian from Harlan High School. She received her Bachelor's degree from Harvard University in Psychology and Social Relations. Ms. Smith started her professional career at IBM Corporation where she held a number of marketing and management positions including Manager of Executive Consulting Services. Ms. Smith serves as Vice Chair of the National Women s Business Center, Association of African American Harvard Alumni (AAAHA), strategic planning board of the Rainbow PUSH/Wall Street Project, TEC/Vistage, SHRM, American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), VisArts Metropolitan Center for the Arts, The Strategic Leadership Forum, the International Society for Strategic Management and Planning, Women Presidents Organization (WPO), National Association of Women Business Owners, and Potomac Valley Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Ms. Smith lives in Maryland with her husband and business partner, Gary A. Smith Sr., and their three sons. She is a member of the Florida Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
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