Strategic Planning
Strategic Plan Development—Launching This Fall!
How do you reach your goals? Make a plan! We’re excited to develop Smith’s strategic plan over the coming months, allowing us to outline actionable goals for the college.
This fall, a Strategic Planning Steering Committee—composed of trustees, faculty, staff, students, and alums, and assisted by Wellspring Consulting—will lead the charge to develop Smith’s strategic plan. In addition to the committee, the entire Smith community will be actively participating throughout the process, providing input and feedback through a series of working groups. The steering committee will include:
- President and President's Team members
- Sarah Willie-LeBreton, President
- Joanna Olin, Chief of Staff and Liaison for Government Relations
- David deSwert, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
- Daphne Lamothe, Provost and Dean of the Faculty
- Elena Palladino, Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Secretary of the College
- Smith College Board of Trustees members
- Johan Aurik ’86, Board of Trustees member
- Claudia San Pedro ’91, Board of Trustees member, Vice Chair of Resources & Operations Committee
- Current student body member
- Ehle DeVaughn '25, SGA President, Economics major
- Current staff member
- ej seibert '08, Director of Accessibility
- Current faculty
- Nathan Derr, Chair of Faculty Council, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Chair of the Program in Biochemistry Director of the Center for Microscopy and Imaging
- Payal Banerjee, Associate Professor of Sociology
Timeline
Interested in learning more about the specific steps involved in this process? Check out this timeline:
| Work Modules | Timeframe |
|---|---|
| Conduct baseline research | August–September 2024 |
| Engage in internal listening | August–October 2024 |
| Conduct a landscape analysis | October–December 2024 |
| Benchmark Smith College | October–December 2024 |
| Establish the strategic direction | October 2024–February 2025 |
| Host an on-campus weekend | January 2025 |
| Conduct a second round of internal listening | January 2025 |
| Define organizational implications | January–March 2025 |
| Build financial projections | January–May 2025 |
| Create an implementation plan | April–May 2025 |
| Collaborate to share the strategy externally | April–May 2025 |
We want to hear from you!
Your thoughts and ideas are important to us! Look for suggestion boxes around campus or send an email to suggestionbox@smith.edu and tell us about your priorities for Smith’s future.