I'M
Nicole D. Smith.
DIGITAL STRATEGIST & EDITOR
N
Hello, there. I'll keep it short and simple.
I’m Nicole D. Smith, Editorial Audience Director at Harvard Business Review. As a digital native, I’m here to challenge and reshape how we connect with audiences. Before HBR, I was an editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where I worked from February 2016. I’ve also held roles at CNN, Time Inc., and as a social media strategist at Bounce TV.
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I hold a Master of Arts in Education and Human Development with a focus on Organizational Leadership and Learning from The George Washington University — Raise High! I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Georgia — Go Dawgs! Sic 'em!
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And just so you know, I’m originally from Elyria, Ohio, near Cleveland — forever a Guardians fan.
aIRCHECK
01 PROFESSIONAL
MY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL SET
AI/LLMs
95%
CMS (WORDPRESS)
75%
CHARTBEAT
85%
SOCIAL MEDIA
93%
CREATIVE WRITING
85%
CONTENT EDITING
90%
SEO OPTIMIZATION
95%
02 Speaking engagements
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October 2025: Moderator for Morehouse College panel, "Beyond the Byline." (Atlanta)
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August 2025: Opening speaker at ANA AIMM's Forum, "Think Local, Go Global" (Toronto)
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June 2025: Guest on Worklife with Adam Grant, "Generational differences are vastly exaggerated"
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September 2024: ONA '24 Moderator for workshop,"Grad Ready" (Atlanta)
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November 2023: Harvard Business Review's 2023 Future of Business (Boston)
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September 2022: Moderator for From Day One Fireside Chat with John Hancock (virtual)
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April 2022: Co-host for HBR Live: Leaders Who Make a Difference (Boston)
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February 2022: Moderator for Is Your Company Developing an Inclusive Culture? (Atlanta)
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October 2021: Panelist for AAJA workshop, The Future of Journalism Jobs (Atlanta)
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September 2020: Decatur Book Festival moderator for panel with bestselling author Roxane Gay
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July 2020: Panelist for discussion with Access Atlanta Bar Summer Series
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June 2020: 4 Questions Journalist Spotlight with Mitch Leff
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February 2020: Speaker/panelist for NABJ Presents: The Basics Bootcamp (Dallas, TX)
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December 2019: Guest on Georgia Public Broadcasting's "On Second Thought" (Atlanta)
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February 2019: Speaker for journalism class at Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta)
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September 2018: Panelist at Grady College at the University of Georgia: Podcast Panel (Athens, GA)
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August 2018: Moderator for Media Boss: How to break into newsroom management/NABJ (Detroit)
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March 2018: Speaker for AABJ Bootcamp: 10 things I wish I knew (Atlanta)
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January 2018: Guest speaker for the Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University (Macon, GA)
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January 2018: Moderator for #MediaBoss: How to break into newsroom management
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October 2017: Guest on Atlanta's NPR station WABE with Rose Scott on "Closer Look" (Atlanta)
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October 2017: Moderator for Women & Innovation: A women-for-girls panel discussion (Atlanta)
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October 2017: Moderator of "Social Media: Friend or Foe" at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta)
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October 2017: Coach for Student and Early Career Journalism Workshop for AAJA (Atlanta
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October 2017: Guest at two roundtables for The Future of Work Summit hosted by The Atlantic (Atlanta)
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September 2017: Panelist and mentor at AABJ Academy - Writing Workshop (Atlanta)
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August 2017: Panelist for WSB TV's Family 2 Family Nonprofit Media Summit (Atlanta)
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August 2017: Moderator at National Association of Black Journalists Convention (New Orleans)
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May 2017: Panelist for The Front Line: Power of Social Media (Atlanta)
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March 2017: Guest speaker at SPJ Presents: Young Writer Workshop at KSU (Kennesaw, GA)
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February 2017: Panelist during three sessions for NABJ Presents: The Basics Bootcamp (Birmingham)
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November 2016: Keynote at Lunch and Learn for PRSA Independent Counselors (Atlanta)
03 Experience
2016-2021
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Senior Editor
• Team lead and planned strategy and execution for digital content, ensuring all audiences are well-served; beats include breaking news entertainment, media, celebrity, faith, travel, local events, food, decor, human interest, and more; respected journalism leader with an emphasis on digital content and social storytelling platforms
•Coached and performance-managed a multi-disciplined 14-member team.
2014-2016
Bounce TV
Manager, Digital Content & Social Media
• Created integrated, omni-channel editorial calendars to improve user engagement, audience retention, and audience conversion.
• Wrote and curated original news stories, calls to action, and viral editorial to increase brand awareness and foster engagement (graphics, photos, videos, GIFs, hashtags, and Facebook events).
2007-2009
Atlanta Woman Magazine
Associate Editor
• Edited copy for B-to-B print magazine and operated as project manager for multiple editorial projects.
• Wrote original online content, planned and distributed email marketing campaigns, and executed social media strategies, and produced online videos.
2021-Present
Harvard Business Review
Editorial Audience Director
• Develop, oversee, and track a unified editorial strategy for growing and engaging audiences across platforms.
• Analyze traffic, follower, and subscriber data to develop a deep understanding of how the HBR audience reaches the brand and who they are, from search to social to email.
2015-2016
Time Inc.
Social Media Editor
• Posted content, evaluate content performance, and make strategic recommendations for ESSENCE magazine.
• Wrote and curated original news stories, call to actions, and viral editorial to increase brand awareness and foster engagement.
• Tracked analytics and compile data into actionable insights that inform and optimize the content strategy.
2009-2013
Cotton Candy Magzine
Digital Managing Editor/Founder
• Published original content daily on social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Google+.
• Generated and managed online marketing and content plans; featured on ClickZ.com and national MailChimp ad campaign.
• Tracked, analyzed and reviewed metrics in Google Analytics, AWStats, Webalizer, plus adhered to SEO strategies.
2003-2007
CNN
Video Journalist
• Wrote and produced features that have aired on primetime shows: “Prime News with Erica Hill” and “Showbiz Tonight.”
• Curated and culled user-generated content (UGC) for CNN.com, CNN iReport, and CNN.
CONTACT
I want to hear from you. Hit me up anytime. Really, anytime.
nicoledsmith142[at]gmail.com
