Middle Tennessee State University ( National Women’s History Month 2016
Judy A. Smith
The Fixer and
Real-Life Olivia Pope
Monday, March 28, 6:45 p.m.
Tennessee Room, James Union Building
Open to the Public • Free Admission
Crisis management expert Judy A. Smith, known as The Fixer, is the real-life inspiration for the ABC hit show
Scandal and the character Olivia Pope. Smith is founder
and president of Smith and Co., a leading strategic and
crisis communications firm in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. She has helped clients face a wide array of
issues with her unique combination of communication
skills, media savvy, and legal and political acumen.
Smith has served as a consultant for Monica Lewinsky,
U.S. Senator Larry Craig, actor Wesley Snipes, and
quarterback Michael Vick. She honed her skills through her experiences with some of the most historic and
sensational events of our time, including the Iran Contra
investigation, prosecution of former Washington mayor
Marion Barry, 1991 Gulf War, Los Angeles riots,
Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas, President Clinton/Lewinsky scandal,
congressional inquiry of Enron, and response to the
SARS epidemic.
Smith advises Fortune 500 corporations, is involved in
public policy issues, and has provided counsel to several
heads of state. She has been senior vice president at
NBC, deputy press secretary for President George H.W.
Bush, assistant U.S. attorney, and the first AfricanAmerican female executive editor of the American
University’s Law Review.
SPONSORS
Distinguished Lecture Fund, Institutional Equity and Compliance, Intercultural Diversity Affairs, June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional
Students, National Women’s History Month, and
Department of Recording Industry
Working to Form a More Perfect Union:
0216-1776 – AA/EEO/Disability/Vet