Liz Smith, 32
Policy and research director, Baton Rouge Area Chamber
With a background in law, Liz Smith is a tireless advocate for regional education policy and advancement as the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s policy and research director. But she doesn’t just talk the talk. She’s a board adviser for Volunteers in Public Schools, serves on the local Louisiana Workforce Investment board, and is a board member for the Up Alliance. She has also been involved with the Truancy and Assessment Service Center, Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, The Cinderella Project and Theatre Baton Rouge. Prior to joining BRAC in 2013, the California native was a director of research with SCI Research. Though she has called 11 different cities home during her life, she has now been in Baton Rouge for 11 years and says she doesn’t have any plans of going anywhere.
NAME THREE MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
- Successfully arguing in front of the Louisiana Supreme Court’s Judicial Council.
- Co-authoring a strategic plan for STEM education in the Capital Region.
- Putting 26 Baton Rouge area teachers through externships in the construction, manufacturing, and healthcare industries.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS AND INVOLVEMENT
Like my professional life, my volunteer life is very centered on education and students in the Capital Region. I’m passionate about serving organizations that effectively provide education and training that lead to economic opportunity.
NAME ONE BOOK THAT HAS INSPIRED YOU PROFESSIONALLY.
A Democratic Constitution for Public Education by Pail T. Hill and Ashley E. Jochim.
WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?
I wanted to be a veterinarian—specifically, I wanted to be Rex Harrison’s Dr. Dolittle, complete with Great Pink Sea Snail.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB, HOW OLD WERE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM IT?
I started babysitting when I was 11, but at age 15 I worked in a gift shop at a community garden, selling ladybug-shaped candies to small children and their grandparents. I learned patience and the value of a positive attitude.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH IN BATON ROUGE, AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DISH THERE?
Zeeland Street Market. I like the black drum salad.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
I’m proud of the job I’m doing raising my son. He’s pretty incredible. He’s only one, though, so I do reserve the right to revise my opinion.
HOW DO YOU GET PUMPED UP BEFORE A BIG MEETING, PRESENTATION OR PITCH?
I practice in the car. Some people sing along to the radio; I give speeches on education attainment.
WHAT IS YOUR BEST PRODUCTIVITY HACK?
Schedule everything. When I’m really on my game, my to-do list items are scheduled into my day based on how long I think they’ll take to complete. It makes it harder to deprioritize those tasks I’d rather avoid.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED THE HARD WAY?
To politely disagree.
HOW DO YOU TYPICALLY DRESS FOR WORK—CASUAL? PROFESSIONAL? BUSINESS CASUAL? OTHER?
I dress somewhere in the realm between business casual and professional. I want to be polished, but comfortable.
WHAT PART OF YOUR JOB DO YOU LOVE? WHAT PART DO YOU HATE?
I love engaging in critical thinking around big, complex problems like how to increase educational equity and workforce preparedness in Baton Rouge. I hate not being able to snap my fingers to solve those problems.
WHAT IS THE BEST COMPLIMENT YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN FROM A COLLEAGUE OR BOSS?
Someone I work with at the Department of Education once sent me an email in response to an activity update I provided that said, “Your update gave me goosebumps. You are an amazing, effective person.” I definitely appreciated that sentiment.
MAC OR PC?
PC for life.
ARE YOU ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA? IF SO, ON WHICH PLATFORMS ARE YOU MOST ACTIVE?
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
HOW LOW WILL YOU ALLOW YOUR REMAINING PHONE OR COMPUTER BATTERY LIFE GET IN % BEFORE YOU HAVE AN ANXIETY ATTACK?
The anxiety sets in at around 30%, but I regularly drain my phone until it shuts down completely.
HOW MANY UNREAD MESSAGES ARE IN YOUR INBOX RIGHT NOW?
Zero! But just because I’ve read them doesn’t mean I’ve dealt with them.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE APP AT THE MOMENT?
Duolingo. I’m attempting to learn some passable Italian for a trip this year. Sto avendo un certo successo!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT OF THE PAST DECADE?
It has to be the smart phone. Ten years ago I had an indestructible Nokia that was good for phone calls, letter-at-a-time text messages, and games of Snake. Today, I carry the world and a camera to capture it with in my pocket. That’s amazing.
WHAT TIME DO YOU GET UP ON WORKDAY MORNINGS?
That depends entirely on when my 1-year-old gets up on workday mornings.
BREAKFAST AT HOME? BREAKFAST ON THE GO? BREAKFAST AT YOUR DESK? NO BREAKFAST AT ALL?
Breakfast on the go.
WHAT WAS THE BEST VACATION YOU HAVE EVER TAKEN?
My honeymoon in Italy. My husband and I spent a week in Rome and a week in Florence and had the time of our lives.
FAVORITE GIFT YOU WERE GIVEN AS A CHILD?
A spin-art. You attached a sheet of paper to it and it would spin quickly in circles while you poured paint over it. The spinning created designs. I loved it, but I definitely ruined my parent’s carpet with it.
WHICH TALENT OR SUPERPOWER WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE AND WHY?
Teleportation. I love traveling to far-off places, but I loathe the processes involved in getting there. How fantastic would it be to teleport to Barcelona or Lyon for dinner? Plus, no more traffic!
WHAT ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS ABOUT?
I always toss salt over my shoulder if I spill any. This results in my husband often complaining about all the salt on the floor.
FAVORITE DRINK?
A Beausoleil Old Fashioned.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?
Charade.
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE?
Sharon Horgan.
WHAT SCARED YOU AS A CHILD, AND WHAT SCARES YOU NOW?
As a child, I was terrified of the movie All Dogs Go to Heaven. It gave me nightmares! As an adult, I’m a little more realistic. I’m afraid of things like cancer and car accidents. And cockroaches.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR 18-YEAR-OLD SELF?
Quit worrying and go have some fun, you don’t have to accomplish everything right now, and you’re not always right—and that’s okay.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY MEMORABLE CELEBRITY ENCOUNERS? WHAT HAPPENED?
I met Vincent Schiavelli when I was a kid—he was leading a children’s group at a convention my mother took me to. He was a very prolific character actor that I knew as Waldo Fudd from Escape to Witch Mountain. He was dressed nearly as eccentrically as Mr. Fudd, and took the other kids and me on a walk around Palo Alto, bought us ice cream cones, and told us stories.
TELL US ABOUT A MOMENT THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE.
One night while I was in college my dad and I stayed up late talking (and finishing a bottle of wine), and he gave me this advice: staying angry or upset with someone only gives them control over you—the best thing you can do to free yourself of that control is to forgive. It’s advice that’s stuck with me and has shaped how I live my life.
WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST HOPE ABOUT THE FUTURE?
The way the Capital Region’s residents respond in a crisis. The bravery of the Cajun Navy, the kindness of the Cajun Rosies, and the generosity of our local business owners, all give me hope that our kindheartedness can be the virtue that wins out in the end.
DO YOU PLAN TO BE IN THE CAPITAL REGION FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? WHY OR WHY NOT?
I do plan to be in the Capital Region in five years. I’ve lived in 11 cities in my life, but Baton Rouge has been home for the longest stretch of time by far—11 years. I’ve seen incredible changes and progress in my time here, and I want to stick around to see even more.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST HOPE FOR BATON ROUGE?
That every kid in Baton Rouge will receive an excellent education—an education that’s right for them and for their families, and that prepares them to thrive after high school.
DO YOU HAVE A BUCKET LIST? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 THINGS ON IT?
- Learn to play the violin.
- See Moscow.
- See my son successfully navigate the world.
