Judy Smith

Judy Smith is the crisis management expert that Washington insiders, Fortune 500 CEOs, and Hollywood call when reputations are on the line — and she brings that same hard-won expertise to stages across the country.

The Real-Life Fixer

Known as “The Fixer,” Smith is the founder and President of Smith & Company, a leading strategic and crisis communications firm with offices in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. For more than 25 years she has navigated some of the most consequential crises of our time — from the Iran Contra investigation and the 1991 Gulf War to the Sony Corporation hacking crisis, the General Petraeus CIA scandal, and the congressional inquiry of Enron. Before founding her firm, Smith served as Deputy Press Secretary and Special Assistant to President George H.W. Bush. Her career inspired Shonda Rhimes to create ABC’s hit series Scandal, for which Smith served as Co-Executive Producer.

Protecting Reputation Before, During, and After a Crisis

Smith’s keynotes translate decades of front-line crisis experience into practical frameworks for brand protection, crisis communication, and leadership under pressure. She is the author of Good Self, Bad Self, published by Simon & Schuster, and has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fortune. She holds a law degree from American University Washington College of Law, where she became the first African-American woman to serve as Executive Editor of the Law Review.

Her keynote topics include crisis management, reputation protection, leadership, and women in leadership.

• Crisis 101: Surviving and Thriving in an Era of Perpetual Crisis
• How to Protect Your Company’s Brand-Preventing, Preparing, and Prevailing During a Crisis
• Social Media Revolution or Evolution-Crisis Communication and Public Relations in the Digital Age
• Leading Through Crisis: What Every Leader Should Know
• Anatomy of a Crisis: Turning Crisis into Opportunity
• Women in Leadership: Challenges and Opportunities in a Position of Power
• Preparing for Leadership: How to Handle any Crisis that Comes Your Way
• Winning Inside & Outside the Courtroom: Managing the Court of Public Opinion
• Washington: An Insider’s View
• It’s a Marathon not a Sprint