Sonya G. Smith is the Chief Diversity Officer at the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) in Washington, DC and leads efforts to promote diversity, access, equity, belongingness, and inclusion. Dr. Smith also served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Enrollment Services and Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Additionally, she worked at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, previously serving as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs/Chief Student Affairs Officer; Associate Professor of Health Services Research Administration in the College of Public Health. Prior to her appointment at UNMC, she served as the Associate to the President; Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs for Diversity at the University of Nebraska Central Administration.

Dr. Smith’s experiences include serving as a Public Policy Consultant for 7 years and publishing on academic freedom and free speech, diversifying the health professions, legal challenges to campus equal opportunity programs, and reducing health disparities. She serves on numerous committees in addition to 2 terms as the Vice Chair, Health Law Section, Diversity Committee for the American Bar Association. She was named an Influencer by the National Diversity Council, received the ADEA Change Agent Award and received the ADEA Chair of the Board Citation for her leadership efforts in diversity and inclusion.

Dr. Smith holds a BS in History, MEd in Curriculum & Instruction, and an EdS in Administration & Supervision from Middle Tennessee State University. She received her doctorate in Higher Education Administration and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Vanderbilt University and completed a certificate in international law at the Tulane University Institute of European Legal Studies in Paris, France.