Nancy K. Smith

Nancy Smith has served as a corporate executive, educator/trainer, economic developer, author, strategic planner, and most recently as Director of Corporate Relations at the University of Arizona. At the UA, she established a formal program for industry engagement, expanding private sector investments in research and other programs and coordinating links between diverse University and Industry interests. She developed a popular “How to Work with Industry” training course for faculty and has presented at a number of national conferences.

Prior to joining the University, Nancy contributed to the rapid growth of music industry electronics firms, as Vice President sales, marketing, strategic planning and/or general management for Roland Corporation and Kaman Corporation. She then served as VP of Strategic Services and led the development of the “Economic Blueprint” for Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities in Tucson. Smith also developed and implemented product launch strategies for early stage technology companies, served as a mentor in the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program at the UA, and was a course developer and trainer for the American Management Association, who published her course, “Selling to Senior Executives”.