Wendin D. Smith, Ph.D., is a Managing Director with Deloitte Consulting LLP, where she leads the firm’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) practice and supports customers across the federal government. In prior positions, she had the honor of serving as the Senior Advisor to the Commanding General of the U.S. Special Operations Command for CWMD, and as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for CWMD, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (DASD/CWMD). As DASD, she was responsible for establishing policy and guidance to protect U.S. and Allied forces against chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack from state or terrorist actors, as well as for preventing and countering global trafficking in WMD. As part of the CWMD portfolio, she was also responsible for policies aimed at helping partner countries build capacity in WMD defense and countermeasures, and for representing the Department’s interests on counterproliferation and nonproliferation policies. In 2017, the Office of the Secretary of Defense recognized her with the Exceptional Public Service Award.
Prior to her federal service, Dr. Smith led strategic initiatives in defense and national security at the Scitor Corporation. In other roles, she has supported Cooperative Threat Reduction programs for the Department’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency, as well as several programs within the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Dr. Smith has founded and operated two woman-owned consultancies, providing services in strategic planning, international market development, and regulatory compliance to commercial and federal clients. In the mid- and late-1990s, while living in Moscow, Russia, Dr. Smith served as Director of the U.S. Information Agency’s (USIA/USIS) American Center, supporting educational exchange programs under the Freedom Support Act.
Dr. Smith, a graduate of Dartmouth College, received her Ph.D. and Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where she focused on International Security Studies and International Environment and Resource Policy. As an alumna, she was invited to serve on The Fletcher School’s Board of Advisors. Dr. Smith currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Webb Schools of California, her high school alma mater, as well as on the Advisory Board of Advanced Technology International. Dr. Smith is fluent in Russian and conversational in German.