Senior Diversity & Inclusion Executive
Focused on Antiracism and Advancing Equity - Let’s get to work!
Diversity and inclusion awareness is not enough. Simply addressing symptoms of inequity is not enough.
In order to create more equitable outcomes and workplaces that advance inclusion and belonging, we need to actively pursue and make changes in existing policies, rules and procedures. I partner with executives and organizations to ensure that we create sustainable change not only through trainings, workshops, and culture assessments, but through policies and practices that focus on equity.
About Me —
Rory Dean Smith is the Founding Managing Director and CEO of Remsbridge, Inc., a boutique consultancy that provides services in strategic planning, diversity and inclusion policies and practices, training, and executive coaching.
Mr. Smith is the principal author and creator of “The Pathway to Reconciliation” workshop series and aligned curriculum which is an antiracism and diversity training workshop. The Pathway of Reconciliation is designed for the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago with participation from all of the 128 congregations. Mr. Smith also authored and conducted a ‘train the trainer’ curriculum for dozens of facilitators of the Pathway to Reconciliation program.
Mr. Smith has served as The Director of Diversity Affairs and Outreach as well as The Associate Dean for Outreach and Planning and at The John Marshall Law School. Mr. Smith was responsible for all diversity and inclusion strategy which included the diversity of student, faculty and staff recruitment, retention, training, and programming. He created programs of recruitment and retention targeted to traditionally under-represented students and developed a series of outreach programs, including the National Undergraduate Diversity Mock Trial Competition. He was a co-founder of the Chicago Consortium of Law School Diversity Professions; Co-Chair of the Anti-Racism Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago; and a founding board member of the Legal Prep Charter Academies. He also served as a member of the American Bar Association’s Council on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Educational Pipeline.
Mr. Smith has advised on institutional policies, procedures, and operations to help create more equitable outcomes within workplaces. In addition, Mr. Smith has also been responsible for institutional research, disability accommodations, academic support programs, and institutional advancement, including fundraising, alumni, event management and publications. Mr. Smith also taught law school courses entitled: “Mass Incarceration and Race in the United States”. Mr. Smith has made numerous presentations and facilitations for discussion of diversity, dismantling institutional racism and racial reconciliation.
Mr. Smith serves as a member of the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and is a former co-chair and current member of the Anti-Racism Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. Mr. Smith has been a member of the board of Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, and president of the Homewood Flossmoor Fine and Performing Arts Council. Mr. Smith also has served as assistant chancellor to the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, president of the Chicago Mortgage Attorneys Association, chairman of the Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic, and president of the Minority Legal Education Resources, Inc., boards of directors. His previous board work also includes serving as vice president of the St. Augustine College Board of Trustees and vice president of the Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education.
Mr. Smith obtained a JD from Northwestern University and a MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a BA from Northwestern University.
Past Projects
EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF CHICAGO
Conducted audit of existing initiatives and activities to design programs to address diversity and inclusion challenges the organization experienced
Led the development and implementation of a strategic training program including workshop series and leadership coaching
Designed and created a workshop series and aligned curriculum, “The Pathway to Reconciliation,” for the 128 episcopal congregations to upskill on racial inequities
Created a ‘train the trainer’ guide and led training for 35 trainers to implement the workshop series
CHICAGO ACADEMY OF MUSIC
Advised client’s expansion of an inner-city music academy to help increase recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented musicians by ~100%
Identified, led, and negotiated an agreement with developers, city officials and landowners to support the academy’s community engagement and economic development goals
Experience
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) executive with 20+ years of experience in building and developing diverse and inclusive cultures that allow everyone to fully contribute their talents and perspectives. Focus on D&I strategic planning, retention, recruitment, inclusion, stakeholder management, coaching, training, and disability accommodations, among other key activities.
REMSBRIDGE CONSULTING
Managed and led all consulting projects that have worked to advance diversity and inclusion in order to produce equitable outcomes for our clients.
Chicago, IL Founding Managing Director & CEO 2013- PresentBoutique diversity and inclusion consultancy that partners with organizations and executives to advance diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Focused on data driven systems wide change that enables workforces to bring their full talents and perspectives to bear. Select client engagements highlighted below.
Led diversity recruitment and retention, disability accommodations, & threat assessments for The John Marshall Law School.
Chicago, ILDirector of the Office of Diversity Affairs,Associate Dean for Outreach and Planning,2004 -2013Managed budget of $570,000+ with >20 staff; was organizational center for multicultural affairs
Led 5-year, school-wide strategy on diversity, working across difference, cultural competency, and ways to increase inclusion in the workplace by offering a suite of trainings for organization
Increased student diversity from 16% to 30+% in 3 years by creating recruitment and retention programs. Created and conducted the National Undergraduate Diversity Mock Trial Competition that increased applications and enrolments
Developed and implemented strategic response and communication plan following incidents of bias and discrimination; addressed community hurt caused by controversy and provided ongoing advice to the administration, and facilitated ongoing programming with faculty, staff and students to upskill
Recognized in 2012 by both the Black Law Students Association Latino and the Law Student Association for “continuing dedication to the [school] and invaluable support of the [association]” for helping underrepresented groups navigate and overcome institutional and academic challenges
Supported strategic engagement and development programs, communications, and accreditation with alumni, donors and the legal community.
Chicago, ILAssociate Dean for Institutional Advancement and Planning, 1998 -2004Managed a budget of over $3 million and directed staff of up to 40 responsible for development, alumni relations, public relations, publications, marketing and event management.
Led the development of the school’s strategic plans in 2000 and 2010.
Led successful 2012 effort to obtain accreditation for on-line master’s degree programs.
This is only a subset of my extensive experience. To learn more, download my full resume here.
Read more from Rory Dean Smith on Medium here.
