What do you get when you mix one part boundless energy, one part zest for life, and one part great sense humor? Half of Elizabeth L. Smith – because the other half of this powerhouse simply cannot be summarized in one sentence!

Whether wearing her Consultant, Coach, Speaker, or Author hat – or all of them at once – when Betsy Smith speaks, people do a whole lot more than just listen. The Founder and Principal of E.L. Smith Consulting, Betsy not only understands what people need to achieve short- and long-term success, her innovative and fun (yes, FUN) style motivates them to actually learn – and apply – those strategies. Her clients have included entrepreneurs, senior executives, emerging leaders, and the executive leadership and boards of several non-profit organizations.

How can Betsy help you? Good question! Let’s break it down into the aforementioned “hats”:

• As a Consultant, Betsy will put her profound knowledge of leadership to work maximizing your organizational effectiveness – defined as “productivity times profitability.”

• As a Coach, Betsy’s fast-paced, purpose-driven style will help you achieve personal and/or professional goals. Having coached for many years in several Senior Executive roles, she recently became a Certified Success Unlimited Network Executive & Corporate Coach and an International Coach Federation Associate Certified Coach.

• As a Speaker & Seminar Leader, Betsy will engage and inform you and/or your audience(s) on a range of topics, including: Leadership Development, Team Building, Human Performance Management and Change Management.

• As an Author, her compelling writing style will help readers enjoy learning. In addition to co-writing the book Second Blooming for Women: Growing a Life That Matters After Fifty, Betsy authored the Leadership at all Levels chapter of Diversity in Technology Education; and has had numerous articles in well-respected magazines and academic journals, including one for which she and her co-author earned a Bronze Award in the 2009 National Mature Media Awards.

How did Betsy get so smart? It wasn’t easy! Living by her motto of “You might as well laugh as cry,” Betsy has:

• Earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology/Social Work from University of Texas, Austin and both a Master’s in Adult Education and a PhD in Organizational Leadership from Texas A & M University’s College of Education, which named her one of its Thirty Distinguished Graduates.

• Served as a Senior Executive at, and/or consultant to, organizations such as: Pensacola (FL) Junior College, Center for Community Education (Texas A&M) and Austin (TX) Independent School District. During 20-year tenure at Pensacola Junior College, she served as Dean, Provost, and Vice President, supervising over 250 employees, managing an $8 million budget, and producing and hosting a television show on the local PBS station. Accomplishments also included: creating new programs to meet changing workforce needs; raising over $6 million in public and private funds for a state-of-the-art health science building; and spearheading a customer service program.

• A passion for, and dedication to, good leadership. She is a graduate of Leadership Florida, Leadership Pensacola, and the Cornell University Institute of Executive Leadership. She served in numerous leadership roles in  Pensacola FL; chaired the Pensacola Symphony, Health Initiatives Task Force of the Greater Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce, the Pensacola Women’s Alliance; and was the Lead Organizer of 2006 International Coach Federation’s Research Symposium.

In 2005 Betsy married Jack Parkin and inherited four adult children and 13 grandchildren. She and Jack live in Cary, NC.