Stephanie Smith is a student in the MBA program at North Carolina Central University. A pirate at heart, she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Political Science at East Carolina University. At NCCU she founded the MBA Association, served as the student liaison to the Graduate Curriculum Committee, and was on the Board of Visitors and Communications Advisory Committee. For the Kenan Institute, Stephanie aided in the development of a strategic economic development plan for Bertie County, NC. She’s conducted extensive research, deployed surveys, and hosted a series of community events — all in an effort to understand the community’s shared vision and represent that vision in the economic development plan. Currently, Stephanie works at Lord Corporation in Cary as an Inside Account Representative for Global Automotive, Industrial, and Electronic Assembly and part-time at Cisco as a Program Manager.