Christopher Smith, PhD

Dr. Christopher N Smith (They/Them) is a Policy & Equity Advisor for the Federal Government, Co-Chairs LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group, contracts as a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Accessibility expert and served 11 years as on the United States Air Force. Dr. Smith earned a Doctor of Philosophy in the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies Program at Howard University focusing their studies on the lived experiences of Consensual Non-Monogamous African American College Students. Dr. Smith’s prior education includes doctoral studies in Sociology, a Master of Arts in Religious Studies with a concentration in Religion and Society, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Anthropology from Howard University.

Currently, Dr. Smith is an adjunct professor at South University and Southern New Hampshire University where they are a trailblazing educator creating and delivering groundbreaking curriculum on operationalizing justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the federal, state and local and educational enterprises. Dr. Smith develops and reviews curriculum for The Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM) focused on research and education understanding and serving vulnerable/under-resourced populations in emergency management. Additionally, Dr. Smith has lectured at Lincoln University, Howard University, University of Maryland, American University, and Radford University, where I successfully designed and implemented courses focused on the intersections of DEI, civil rights, education, risk management, and social justice, receiving positive feedback from students and peers.

Dr. Smith’s research has been published in reputable journals such as The Journal of Educational Foundations, Routledge Publishers, NASPA Gender and Sexuality Knowledge Community Lavender Paper, Sense Publishers, and The Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships, and dedicated to producing scholarship that contributes to the broader conversation on equity in education. Additionally, Dr. Smith is on the board or active in a multitude of DEI organizations, such as the American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Consensual Non-Monogamy (CNM), Relationship Equality Foundation, and Woodhull Freedom Foundation, where they draft anti-discrimination and domestic partnership legislation for CNM communities, advise on conference and continuing education programs on CNM and LGBTQIA communities and racial inclusion, education, and cultural awareness initiatives.