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{{Short description|American engineer}}{{About|the technology executive|the head coach at Marshall|Megan Smith (softball)|the head coach of Belmont softball team|Megan Rhodes Smith|the curler|Megan Smith (curler)}}
{{Short description|American engineer}}
{{hatnote group|
{{about|the technology executive|the head coach at Marshall|Megan Smith (softball)|the head coach of the Belmont softball team|Megan Rhodes Smith|the curler|Megan Smith (curler)}}
{{distinguish|Negan Smith}}
}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Megan Smith
| name = Megan Smith
| image = Megan Smith official portrait.jpg
| image = Megan Smith official portrait.jpg
| office = 3rd [[Chief Technology Officer of the United States]]
| office = 3rd [[Chief Technology Officer of the United States]]
| president = [[Barack Obama]]
| president = [[Barack Obama]]
| term_start = September 4, 2014
| term_start = September 4, 2014
| term_end = January 20, 2017
| term_end = January 20, 2017
| predecessor = [[Todd Park]]
| predecessor = [[Todd Park]]
| successor = [[Michael Kratsios]]
| successor = [[Michael Kratsios]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|10|21}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|10|21}}
| birth_place =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place =
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Kara Swisher]]<br>|1999|2018|end=divorced}}
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Kara Swisher]]|1999|2017|end=div}}
| children = 2
| children = 2
| alma_mater = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|Massachusetts Institute of<br>Technology]]
| education = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|Massachusetts Institute of<br>Technology]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]], [[Master of Science|MS]])
| module = {{Listen
| module = {{Listen
|embed = yes
| embed = yes
|filename = Megan Smith voice.flac
| filename = Megan Smith voice.flac
|title = Smith's voice
| title = Smith's voice
|type = speech
| type = speech
|description = recorded June 2015}}
| description = recorded June 2015}}
}}
}}
'''Megan J. Smith''' (born October 21, 1964)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computerhope.com/people/megan_smith.htm |title=Megan Smith |publisher=Computer Hope |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> is an American engineer and technologist. She was the third [[Chief Technology Officer of the United States]] (U.S. CTO) and Assistant to the President, serving under President [[Barack Obama]]. She was previously a vice president at [[Google]], leading new business development and early-stage partnerships across Google's global engineering and product teams at [[Google]] for nine years, was general manager of [[Google.org]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.marieclaire.com/career-money/career-coach/women-working-google|title=The Women at Google|date=March 12, 2008|work=Marie Claire|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> a vice president briefly at [[Google X|Google[x]]] where she co-created WomenTechmakers,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.womentechmakers.com/|title=Women Techmakers|access-date=2018-08-16|language=en}}</ref> is the former [[CEO]] of [[Planet Out]] and worked as an engineer on early smartphones at [[General Magic]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_2QEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22megan+smith%22+google&pg=PA48|title=Six who see the future|last=Lehoczky|first=Etelka|date=October 26, 2004|work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/do_no_evil|title=Do No Evil|last=Boss|first=Suzie|date=Fall 2010|work=Stanford Social Innovation Review|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> She serves on the boards of [[MIT]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2011/new-corporation-members-0603 |title=Corporation elects new members |publisher=MIT News |date=June 3, 2011 |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> and [[Vital Voices]], was a member of the [[United States Agency for International Development|USAID]] Advisory Committee on Voluntary Aid<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/organization/advisory-committee/members |title=ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON VOLUNTARY FOREIGN AID MEMBERS |publisher=USAID |date=2013 |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> and co-founded the [[Malala Fund]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smith/introducing-the-malala-fu_b_2110875.html |title=Introducing: The Malala Fund |work=The Huffington Post |date=November 10, 2012 |first=Megan |last=Smith |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vitalvoices.org/about-us/board-directors |title=Board of Directors |publisher=Vital Voices |access-date=October 3, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006122554/http://www.vitalvoices.org/about-us/board-directors |archive-date=October 6, 2014 }}</ref> Today Smith is the CEO and Founder of shift7. On September 4, 2014, she was named as the third (and first female) U.S. CTO, succeeding [[Todd Park]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/09/04/white-house-names-googles-megan-smith-the-next-chief-technology-officer-of-the-united-states/|title=White House names Google's Megan Smith the next Chief Technology Officer of the United States|last=Scola|first=Nancy|date=September 4, 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=4 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techrepublic.com/article/googlex-vp-megan-smith-busts-silicon-ceiling-as-first-female-us-cto/ |title=Google[x] VP Megan Smith busts Silicon ceiling as first female US CTO |publisher=Tech Republic |date=September 4, 2014 |first=Alex |last=Howard |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> and serving until January, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/msmith21/|title=Megan Smith|website=LinkedIn}}{{dead link|date=March 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
'''Megan J. Smith''' (born October 21, 1964)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computerhope.com/people/megan_smith.htm |title=Megan Smith |publisher=Computer Hope |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> is an American engineer and technologist. She was the third [[Chief Technology Officer of the United States]] (U.S. CTO) and Assistant to the President, serving under President [[Barack Obama]]. She was previously a vice president at [[Google]], leading new business development and early-stage partnerships across Google's global engineering and product teams at [[Google]] for nine years, was general manager of [[Google.org]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.marieclaire.com/career-money/career-coach/women-working-google|title=The Women at Google|department=Cubicle Coach |date=March 12, 2008|magazine=Marie Claire|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> a vice president briefly at [[X Development|Google[x]]] where she co-created WomenTechmakers,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.womentechmakers.com/|title=Women Techmakers|access-date=2018-08-16}}</ref> is the former [[CEO]] of [[Planet Out]] and worked as an engineer on early smartphones at [[General Magic]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_2QEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22megan+smith%22+google&pg=PA48|title=Six who see the future|last=Lehoczky|first=Etelka|date=October 26, 2004|magazine=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/do_no_evil|title=Do No Evil|last=Boss|first=Suzie|date=Fall 2010|journal=Stanford Social Innovation Review|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> She serves on the boards of [[MIT]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2011/new-corporation-members-0603 |title=Corporation elects new members |magazine=MIT News |date=June 3, 2011 |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> and [[Vital Voices]], was a member of the [[United States Agency for International Development|USAID]] Advisory Committee on Voluntary Aid<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/organization/advisory-committee/members |title=Advisory Committee On Voluntary Foreign Aid Members |publisher=United States Agency for International Development |date=2013 |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> and co-founded the [[Malala Fund]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smith/introducing-the-malala-fu_b_2110875.html |title=Introducing: The Malala Fund |work=The Huffington Post |date=November 10, 2012 |first=Megan |last=Smith |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vitalvoices.org/about-us/board-directors |title=Board of Directors |publisher=Vital Voices |access-date=October 3, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006122554/http://www.vitalvoices.org/about-us/board-directors |archive-date=October 6, 2014 }}</ref> Today Smith is the CEO and Founder of shift7. On September 4, 2014, she was named as the third (and first female) U.S. CTO, succeeding [[Todd Park]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/09/04/white-house-names-googles-megan-smith-the-next-chief-technology-officer-of-the-united-states/|title=White House names Google's Megan Smith the next Chief Technology Officer of the United States|last=Scola|first=Nancy|date=September 4, 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=4 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.techrepublic.com/article/googlex-vp-megan-smith-busts-silicon-ceiling-as-first-female-us-cto/ |title=Google[x] VP Megan Smith busts Silicon ceiling as first female US CTO |publisher=Tech Republic |date=September 4, 2014 |first=Alex |last=Howard |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> and serving until January, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/msmith21/|title=Megan Smith|website=LinkedIn}}{{dead link|date=March 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Smith grew up in [[Buffalo, New York]], and [[Fort Erie, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mabbett|first1=Andy|title=File:Megan Smith voice.flac|date=6 June 2015 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Megan_Smith_voice.flac|via=WikiMedia Commons|access-date=21 June 2015}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=August 2015}} and spent many summers at the [[Chautauqua Institution]] in [[Chautauqua, New York]], where her mother, Joan Aspell Smith, was director of the Chautauqua Children's School.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo/obama-names-city-honors-graduate-us-chief-technology-officer-20140904 |title=Obama names City Honors graduate U.S. chief technology officer |newspaper=The Buffalo News |date=September 4, 2014 |first=Dale |last=Anderson |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> Smith graduated from [[City Honors School]] in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityhonors.org/page/distinguished-alumni/ |title=Distinguished Alumni |publisher=City Honors School |access-date=October 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006064602/http://www.cityhonors.org/page/distinguished-alumni/ |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She went on to receive her [[Bachelor of Science|S.B.]] in 1986 and an [[Master of Science|S.M.]] in 1988, both in mechanical engineering, from [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], and completed her Master's thesis work at the [[MIT Media Lab]]. She was a member of the MIT student team that designed, built and raced a solar car 2000 miles across the [[Australia]]n [[outback]] in the first cross-continental solar car race.<ref name=tr/>
Smith grew up in [[Buffalo, New York]], and [[Fort Erie, Ontario]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mabbett|first1=Andy|title=File:Megan Smith voice.flac|date=6 June 2015 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Megan_Smith_voice.flac|via=WikiMedia Commons|access-date=21 June 2015}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=August 2015}} and spent many summers at the [[Chautauqua Institution]] in [[Chautauqua, New York]], where her mother, Joan Aspell Smith, was director of the Chautauqua Children's School.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo/obama-names-city-honors-graduate-us-chief-technology-officer-20140904 |title=Obama names City Honors graduate U.S. chief technology officer |newspaper=The Buffalo News |date=September 4, 2014 |first=Dale |last=Anderson |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref> Smith graduated from [[City Honors School]] in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kresse |first=William A. |url=http://www.cityhonors.org/page/distinguished-alumni/ |title=Distinguished Alumni |publisher=City Honors School at Fosdick-Masten Park |access-date=October 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006064602/http://www.cityhonors.org/page/distinguished-alumni/ |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She went on to receive her [[Bachelor of Science|S.B.]] in 1986 and an [[Master of Science|S.M.]] in 1988, both in mechanical engineering, from [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], and completed her master's thesis work at the [[MIT Media Lab]]. She was a member of the MIT student team that designed, built and raced a solar car 2000 miles across the [[Australia]]n [[outback]] in the first cross-continental solar car race.<ref name=tr/>


==Career==
==Career==
Following MIT, Smith worked at a variety of start-ups, including [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] in [[Tokyo]] and [[General Magic]] located in [[Mountain View, California]], as product design lead on nascent smartphone technologies<ref>{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2001/03/01/298108/index.htm|title=25 Women Who Are Making It Big In Small Business|last=Langway|first=Lynn|author2=Pamela Kruger |author3=P. B. Gray |date=March 1, 2001|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> before she got involved with the launch of [[Planet Out]] in 1995. She joined formally in 1996 as COO and from 1998 she was Planet Out's Chief Executive Officer, where she expanded partnerships, built new business models, grew revenue and global users, raised venture funding, and later presided over that company's merger with [[Gay.com]].<ref name=usa2>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55393763.html?dids=55393763:55393763&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+21%2C+2000&author=Jim+Hopkins&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=PlanetOut+CEO+taps+gay+market+Exec+becomes+power+player+in+elusive+%24450B+industry&pqatl=google|title=PlanetOut CEO taps gay market Exec becomes power player in elusive $450B industry|last=Hopkins|first=Jim|date=June 21, 2000|work=[[USA Today]]|page=7B|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/16/business/technology-2-companies-in-gay-media-plan-to-merge.html|title=TECHNOLOGY; 2 Companies In Gay Media Plan to Merge|last=Kuczynski|first=Alex|date=16 November 2000|work=The New York Times|page=4|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref>
Following MIT, Smith worked at a variety of start-ups, including [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] in [[Tokyo]] and [[General Magic]] located in [[Mountain View, California]], as product design lead on nascent smartphone technologies<ref>{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2001/03/01/298108/index.htm|title=25 Women Who Are Making It Big In Small Business|last=Langway|first=Lynn|author2=Pamela Kruger |author3=P. B. Gray |date=March 1, 2001|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> before she got involved with the launch of [[Planet Out]] in 1995. She joined formally in 1996 as COO and from 1998 she was Planet Out's Chief Executive Officer, where she expanded partnerships, built new business models, grew revenue and global users, raised venture funding, and later presided over that company's merger with [[Gay.com]].<ref name=usa2>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55393763.html |title=PlanetOut CEO taps gay market Exec becomes power player in elusive $450B industry|last=Hopkins|first=Jim|date=June 21, 2000|work=[[USA Today]]|page=7B|access-date=1 June 2012}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/16/business/technology-2-companies-in-gay-media-plan-to-merge.html|title=2 Companies In Gay Media Plan to Merge|last=Kuczynski|first=Alex|date=16 November 2000|work=The New York Times|page=4|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref>


In 2003, she joined Google,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-09-03/features/0309020267_1_computer-science-women-and-technology-young-women|title=3 succeed in computer field, but women still lag|last=Hafner|first=Katie|date=September 3, 2003|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> where she rose to the vice president of new [[business development]], leading early-stage partnerships, pilot explorations and technology licensing across Google's global engineering and product teams. She led many early acquisitions, including [[Keyhole, Inc|Keyhole]] (Google Earth), Where2Tech (Google Maps), and [[Picasa]], and later also took over as general manager of Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/02/24/larry-brilliant-google-technology_brilliant.html|title=Re-engineering Google.org|last=Hardy|first=Quentin|date=24 February 2009|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> Smith co-created and co-hosted Google's [[Solve for X]] solution acceleration programs 2012-14.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tgdaily.com/trendwatch-features/61286-solve-for-x-to-tackle-worlds-biggest-problems|title='Solve for X' to tackle world's biggest problems|last=Woollacott|first=Emma|date=February 7, 2012|work=TG Daily|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref> In 2012, she started Google's "Women Techmakers" diversity initiative to expand visibility, community and resources for technical women globally.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.womentechmakers.com/|title=Women Techmakers|website=www.womentechmakers.com|access-date=2016-03-16}}</ref>
In 2003, she joined Google,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-09-03/features/0309020267_1_computer-science-women-and-technology-young-women|title=3 succeed in computer field, but women still lag|last=Hafner|first=Katie|date=September 3, 2003|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> where she rose to the vice president of new [[business development]], leading early-stage partnerships, pilot explorations and technology licensing across Google's global engineering and product teams. She led many early acquisitions, including [[Keyhole, Inc|Keyhole]] (Google Earth), Where2Tech (Google Maps), and [[Picasa]], and later also took over as general manager of Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/02/24/larry-brilliant-google-technology_brilliant.html|title=Re-engineering Google.org|last=Hardy|first=Quentin|date=24 February 2009|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> Smith co-created and co-hosted Google's [[Solve for X]] solution acceleration programs 2012-14.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tgdaily.com/trendwatch-features/61286-solve-for-x-to-tackle-worlds-biggest-problems|title='Solve for X' to tackle world's biggest problems|last=Woollacott|first=Emma|date=February 7, 2012|work=TG Daily|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref> In 2012, she started Google's "Women Techmakers" diversity initiative to expand visibility, community and resources for technical women globally.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.womentechmakers.com/|title=Women Techmakers|website=www.womentechmakers.com|access-date=2016-03-16}}</ref>


In 2014, she left Google to become the 3rd U.S. CTO. In that role, Smith recruited top tech talent to serve across government collaborating on pressing issues, from AI, data science and open source, to inclusive economic growth, entrepreneurship, structural inequalities, government tech innovation capacity, STEM/STEAM engagement, workforce development, and criminal justice reform. Her teams focused on broad capacity building by co-creating all-hands-on-deck initiatives, including the public-private program TechHire, the Computer Science for All initiative, and the Image of STEM campaigns. <ref name="Office of the Chief Technology Officer">{{citation |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/ostp/divisions/cto |title=Office of the Chief Technology Officer |work=[[Forbes]] |publisher=[[White House]]}}</ref> In addition, she launched the campaign to #FindtheSentiments, which is an effort to find the [[Declaration of Sentiments]], a piece of history from the [[Seneca Falls Convention]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-10-14 |title=The Lost History: Help Us Find the Declaration of Sentiments |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=whitehouse.gov |language=en}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite news |last1=Robbins |first1=Liz |last2=Roberts |first2=Sam |date=2019-02-09 |title=Early Feminists Issued a Declaration of Independence. Where Is It Now? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/09/nyregion/declaration-of-sentiments-and-resolution-feminism.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/09/nyregion/declaration-of-sentiments-and-resolution-feminism.html |access-date=2022-04-02 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>After leaving the White House in 2017, Smith became CEO and Founder of [[shift7]] which works on tech-forward, inclusive innovation for faster impact on systemic economic, social, and environmental challenges.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Team|url=https://shift7.com/team|access-date=2021-04-11|website=shift7|language=en-US}}</ref> At shift7, the team continued co-creating the United Nations Solutions Summit and other programs; in 2017 Smith helped launch Tech Jobs Tour, aimed at promoting diversity in the technological sector, traveling to over 20 U.S. cities to help empower and connect local talent to their nascent tech sectors.<ref name="Forbes 2017-11-08">{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Jenna |author-link=Jenna Arnold |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennaarnold/2017/11/08/techs-history-hopefully-can-repeat-itself/#60fc8a724b5a |title=First Female CTO Of The U.S. Megan Smith Hopes Tech's History Can Repeat Itself |work=[[Forbes]] |date=2017-11-08 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819141428/http://https/#60fc8a724b5a |archive-date=2013-08-19 |access-date=2018-03-01 }}</ref> Smith serves on the board of [[MIT]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/new-corporation-members-0603.html|title=Corporation elects new members|date=June 3, 2011|work=MIT News Office|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref> [[Vital Voices]], [[LA2028]], Think of Us as well as on the advisory boards for the [[MIT Media Lab]] and the [[Algorithmic Justice League]]. She is also a member of the Award Selection Committee for the distinguished Carroll L. Wilson Award at MIT.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gecd.mit.edu/go-abroad/distinguished-fellowships/carroll-l-wilson |title=Distinguished Fellowships - Carroll L. Wilson |publisher=MIT |date=November 10, 2014 |first=Megan |last=Smith |access-date=October 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006200244/http://gecd.mit.edu/go-abroad/distinguished-fellowships/carroll-l-wilson |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Smith has contributed to a broad range of engineering projects, including a bicycle lock,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.06/mustread_pr.html|title=Wired 8.06: Must Read|last=McNichol|first=Tom|work=[[Wired News]]|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref> space station construction program, and solar cookstoves.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Megan Smith |url=https://www.semesteratsea.org/faculty-and-staff/megan-smith/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Semester at Sea |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2014, she left Google to become the 3rd U.S. CTO. In that role, Smith recruited top tech talent to serve across government collaborating on pressing issues, from AI, data science and open source, to inclusive economic growth, entrepreneurship, structural inequalities, government tech innovation capacity, STEM/STEAM engagement, workforce development, and criminal justice reform. Her teams focused on broad capacity building by co-creating all-hands-on-deck initiatives, including the public-private program TechHire, the Computer Science for All initiative, and the Image of STEM campaigns.<ref name="Office of the Chief Technology Officer">{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/ostp/divisions/cto |title=Office of the Chief Technology Officer |publisher=[[White House]]}}</ref> In addition, she launched the campaign to #FindtheSentiments, which is an effort to find the [[Declaration of Sentiments]], a piece of history from the [[Seneca Falls Convention]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-10-14 |title=The Lost History: Help Us Find the Declaration of Sentiments |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=whitehouse.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Robbins |first1=Liz |last2=Roberts |first2=Sam |date=2019-02-09 |title=Early Feminists Issued a Declaration of Independence. Where Is It Now? |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/09/nyregion/declaration-of-sentiments-and-resolution-feminism.html |access-date=2022-04-02 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> After leaving the White House in 2017, Smith became CEO and Founder of [[shift7]] which works on tech-forward, inclusive innovation for faster impact on systemic economic, social, and environmental challenges.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Team|url=https://shift7.com/team|access-date=2021-04-11|website=shift7}}</ref> At shift7, the team continued co-creating the United Nations Solutions Summit and other programs; in 2017 Smith helped launch Tech Jobs Tour, aimed at promoting diversity in the technological sector, traveling to over 20 U.S. cities to help empower and connect local talent to their nascent tech sectors.<ref name="Forbes 2017-11-08">{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Jenna |author-link=Jenna Arnold |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennaarnold/2017/11/08/techs-history-hopefully-can-repeat-itself/ |title=First Female CTO Of The U.S. Megan Smith Hopes Tech's History Can Repeat Itself |work=[[Forbes]] |date=2017-11-08 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819141428/http://https/ |archive-date=2013-08-19 |access-date=2018-03-01 }}</ref> Smith serves on the board of [[MIT]],<ref>{{cite web|author=MIT News Office |url=http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/new-corporation-members-0603.html|title=Corporation elects new members|date=June 3, 2011|website=MIT News|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref> [[Vital Voices]], [[LA2028]], Think of Us as well as on the advisory boards for the [[MIT Media Lab]] and the [[Algorithmic Justice League]]. Additionally, she currently serves on the global Advisory Council for [[Carolina for Kibera|CFK Africa]], a leading NGO working in Kenyan informal settlements.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet Our Team {{!}} Staff, Board, and Advisory Council |url=https://cfkafrica.org/our-team/ |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=CFK Africa}}</ref> She is also a member of the Award Selection Committee for the distinguished Carroll L. Wilson Award at MIT.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gecd.mit.edu/go-abroad/distinguished-fellowships/carroll-l-wilson |title=Distinguished Fellowships - Carroll L. Wilson |publisher=MIT |date=November 10, 2014 |first=Megan |last=Smith |access-date=October 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006200244/http://gecd.mit.edu/go-abroad/distinguished-fellowships/carroll-l-wilson |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Smith has contributed to a broad range of engineering projects, including a bicycle lock,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.06/mustread_pr.html|title=Wired 8.06: Must Read|last=McNichol|first=Tom|magazine=[[Wired News]]|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref> space station construction program, and solar cookstoves.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Megan Smith |url=https://www.semesteratsea.org/faculty-and-staff/megan-smith/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Semester at Sea}}</ref>


She is an active proponent of [[Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics|STEM]] education and innovation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smith/women-in-tech_b_4086332.html |title='Passion, Adventure and Heroic Engineering'... and Talent Inclusion |work=The Huffington Post |date=October 11, 2013 |first=Megan |last=Smith |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref>
She is an active proponent of [[Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics|STEM]] education and innovation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smith/women-in-tech_b_4086332.html |title='Passion, Adventure and Heroic Engineering'... and Talent Inclusion |work=The Huffington Post |date=October 11, 2013 |first=Megan |last=Smith |access-date=October 3, 2014 }}</ref>
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Her appeal for technologists to work in public service at the annual [[Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing]] inspired several [[Harvard University]] students to create the national non-profit organization [[Coding it Forward]] which creates data science and technology internship program for undergraduate and graduate students in [[List of federal agencies in the United States|United States federal agencies]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelman |first1=Steve |title=Students recruiting students into federal tech |url=https://fcw.com/blogs/lectern/2018/03/kelman-coding-it-forward.aspx |website=FCW |access-date=29 August 2018}}</ref>
Her appeal for technologists to work in public service at the annual [[Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing]] inspired several [[Harvard University]] students to create the national non-profit organization [[Coding it Forward]] which creates data science and technology internship program for undergraduate and graduate students in [[List of federal agencies in the United States|United States federal agencies]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelman |first1=Steve |title=Students recruiting students into federal tech |url=https://fcw.com/blogs/lectern/2018/03/kelman-coding-it-forward.aspx |website=FCW |access-date=29 August 2018}}</ref>


Smith was elected a member of the [[National Academy of Engineering]] in 2017 for leading technological innovation teams and efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in STEM industries both nationally and globally, and elected a member of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] in 2018.
Smith was elected a member of the [[National Academy of Engineering]] in 2017 for leading technological innovation teams and efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in STEM industries both nationally and globally, and elected a member of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] in 2018.

==Recognition==
==Recognition==
* World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer 2001, 2002<ref>{{cite web|last=McCluskey |first=Eileen |url=http://www.technologyreview.com/mitnews/408886/megan-smith-86-sm-88/ |title=Megan Smith '86, SM '88 &#124; MIT Technology Review |publisher=Technologyreview.com |date=2007-10-15 |access-date=2013-11-02}}</ref>
* World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer 2001, 2002<ref>{{cite magazine |last=McCluskey |first=Eileen |url=http://www.technologyreview.com/mitnews/408886/megan-smith-86-sm-88/ |title=Megan Smith '86, SM '88 |magazine=MIT Technology Review |date=2007-10-15 |access-date=2013-11-02}}</ref>
* Listed by ''[[Out (magazine)|Out]]'' magazine in 2012<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.out.com/2012/04/17/power-list-megan-smith|title=The Power List: MEGAN SMITH|date=17 April 2012|work=[[Out (magazine)|Out]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> and 2013,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.out.com/2013/04/10/whos-top-power-list-2013#slide-46|title=The Power List: MEGAN SMITH|date=10 April 2013|work=[[Out (magazine)|Out]]|access-date=15 April 2013}}</ref> as one of the 50 most powerful [[LGBT]] people in the United States
* Listed by ''[[Out (magazine)|Out]]'' magazine in 2012<ref>{{cite magazine|author=((Out.com editors))|url=http://www.out.com/2012/04/17/power-list-megan-smith|title=The Power List: MEGAN SMITH|date=17 April 2012|magazine=[[Out (magazine)|Out]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> and 2013,<ref>{{cite magazine|author=((Out.com editors))|url=http://www.out.com/2013/04/10/whos-top-power-list-2013#slide-46|title=The Power List: MEGAN SMITH|date=10 April 2013|magazine=[[Out (magazine)|Out]]|access-date=15 April 2013}}</ref> as one of the 50 most powerful [[LGBT]] people in the United States
* [[Reuters Digital Vision Program]] Fellow at Stanford, 2003-2004<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tow.com/2003/09/11/digital-vision-fellowship/ |title=Digital Vision Fellowship |publisher=tow.com |date=2003-09-11 |access-date=2013-11-02}}</ref>
* [[Reuters Digital Vision Program]] Fellow at Stanford, 2003-2004<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tow.com/2003/09/11/digital-vision-fellowship/ |title=Digital Vision Fellowship |publisher=tow.com |date=2003-09-11 |access-date=2013-11-02}}</ref>
* Top 25 Women on the Web, 2000<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2000/02/33895?currentPage=all|title=Women Geeks Honor Their Own|last=Mayfield|first=Kendra|date=February 1, 2000|work=[[Wired News]]|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref>
* Top 25 Women on the Web, 2000<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2000/02/33895?currentPage=all|title=Women Geeks Honor Their Own|last=Mayfield|first=Kendra|date=February 1, 2000|work=[[Wired News]]|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref>
* ''Upside Magazine'' 100 Digital Elite, 1999 and 2000<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Steve+Jobs+Edges+Out+Bill+Gates+for+Top+Billing+Among+UPSIDE's+1999...-a057565073|title=Press Release: Steve Jobs Edges Out Bill Gates for Top Billing Among UPSIDE's 1999 Elite 100; ....|date=November 15, 1999|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref>
* ''Upside Magazine'' 100 Digital Elite, 1999 and 2000<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Steve+Jobs+Edges+Out+Bill+Gates+for+Top+Billing+Among+UPSIDE's+1999...-a057565073|title=Steve Jobs Edges Out Bill Gates for Top Billing Among UPSIDE's 1999 Elite 100; ....|date=November 15, 1999|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref>
* ''Advertising Age'' i.20, 1999<ref>{{cite news|url=http://adage.com/article/news/i-20-planetout-s-megan-j-smith/1141/|title=i.20: PlanetOut's Megan J. Smith|date=November 1, 1999|work=Advertising Age|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref>
* ''Advertising Age'' i.20, 1999<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fitzgerald |first=Kate |url=https://adage.com/article/news/i-20-planetout-s-megan-j-smith/1141|title=i.20: PlanetOut's Megan J. Smith|date=November 1, 1999|magazine=Advertising Age|access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref>
* GLAAD Interactive Media Award for Internet Leadership, 1999<ref>{{cite web |url=http://173.227.131.45/is1699/cruisin.htm |title=Cruisin' The Web - AMBUSH Mag 2000 - Gay America |publisher=173.227.131.45 |access-date=2013-11-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121129190304/http://173.227.131.45/is1699/cruisin.htm |archive-date=2012-11-29 }}</ref>
* GLAAD Interactive Media Award for Internet Leadership, 1999<ref>{{cite web |editor-last1=Naquin |editor-first1=Robert J. |editor-last2=Naquin-Delain |editor-first2=Marsha |date=6 August 1999 |title=GLAAD Honors PlanetOut & Geocities |department=cruisin' the web |work=Ambush magazine |volume=17 |number=16 |url=http://archive.ambushmag.com/is1699/cruisin.htm |access-date=24 September 2023}}</ref>
* Charging Buffalo Award, 2015<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.washingtonexec.com/2015/08/save-the-date-37th-annual-buffalo-nite-to-honor-megan-smith-sept-16/|title=SAVE THE DATE: 37th Annual Buffalo Nite to Honor Megan Smith Sept. 16|website=WashingtonExec|date=14 August 2015 |language=en-US|access-date=2016-03-16}}</ref>
* Charging Buffalo Award, 2015<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Thompson |first=Melissa |url=http://www.washingtonexec.com/2015/08/save-the-date-37th-annual-buffalo-nite-to-honor-megan-smith-sept-16/|title=SAVE THE DATE: 37th Annual Buffalo Nite to Honor Megan Smith Sept. 16|magazine=WashingtonExec|date=14 August 2015 |access-date=2016-03-16}}</ref>
* Matrix Hall of Fame, 2015<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nywici.org/matrix2020/matrix-awards-hall-of-fame/|title=MATRIX HALL OF FAME|website=NYWIC|language=en-US|access-date=2021-03-29}}</ref>
* Matrix Hall of Fame, 2015<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nywici.org/matrix2020/matrix-awards-hall-of-fame/|title=MATRIX HALL OF FAME|website=NYWIC|access-date=2021-03-29}}</ref>
*Business Insider 23 Most Powerful LGBTQ+ People in Tech, 2019<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/most-powerful-lgbtq-people-in-tech-2019-2|title=The 23 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech|last=Leskin|first=Paige|website=Business Insider|access-date=2019-10-09}}</ref>
*Business Insider 23 Most Powerful LGBTQ+ People in Tech, 2019<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=2 June 2019 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/most-powerful-lgbtq-people-in-tech-2019-2|title=The 23 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech|last=Leskin|first=Paige|magazine=Business Insider|access-date=2019-10-09}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Smith married technology columnist [[Kara Swisher]] in [[Marin County]] in 1999<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2014/07/kara-swisher-silicon-valleys-most-powerful-snoop.html |title=Kara Swisher Is Silicon Valley's Most Feared and Well-Liked Journalist. How Does That Work? |first=Benjamin |last=Wallace |website=[[New York (magazine)|New York Magazine]] |date=15 July 2014}}</ref> (before same-sex marriage was legal in California). They have two sons, Louis and Alexander,<ref name=tr>{{cite news|url=http://www.technologyreview.com/article/19566/|title=Megan Smith '86, SM '88|last=McCluskey|first=Eileen|date=November–December 2007|work=[[Technology Review]]|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref><ref name=usa2/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2011/09/16/google-working-on-social-news-reader.html|title=Google working on social, news reader|date=September 16, 2011|work=San Jose Business Journal|access-date=2 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="Scranton 2012-01-24">{{cite news |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetimes-tribune/obituary.aspx?pid=155622033 |title=Susan Ann Ventre |work=[[Scranton Times]] |publisher=[[Legacy.com]] |date=2012-01-24 |access-date=2018-03-01 }}</ref> and are divorced {{asof|2018|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.recode.net/authors/kara-swisher|title=Kara Swisher Biography and Ethics Statement|publisher=re/code|access-date=July 31, 2018}}</ref>
Smith married technology columnist [[Kara Swisher]] in [[Marin County]] in 1999 at a time when same-sex marriage was not legal in California.<ref name="Wallace 2014">{{cite magazine|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2014/07/kara-swisher-silicon-valleys-most-powerful-snoop.html |title=Kara Swisher Is Silicon Valley's Most Feared and Well-Liked Journalist. How Does That Work? |first=Benjamin |last=Wallace |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=15 July 2014}}</ref><ref name="Swisher 2008">{{cite magazine|last1=Swisher|first1=Kara|date=10 November 2008|title=My Four Weddings, How getting gay married became an Olympic sport for me|magazine=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/my-four-weddings/|access-date=29 September 2023}}</ref> They had additional legal wedding ceremonies in 2003 in Niagara Falls, Canada, in 2004 as part of the [[San Francisco 2004 same-sex weddings]], and again in San Francisco, California in November 2008 in advance of [[2008 California Proposition 8|California Proposition 8]], which declared same-sex marriages invalid in California.{{r|Swisher 2008}} Smith and Swisher have two sons, Louis and Alexander.<ref name="tr">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2007/10/15/223351/megan-smith-86-sm-88/|title=Megan Smith '86, SM '88: Pioneering change from PlanetOut to Google Earth|last=McCluskey|first=Eileen|date=15 October 2007 <!-- Published in November-December 2007 issue -->|magazine=[[MIT Technology Review]]|issn=1099-274X |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology}}</ref><ref name="usa2"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Schubarth |first=Cromwell |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2011/09/16/google-working-on-social-news-reader.html|title=Google working on social, news reader|date=September 16, 2011|work=San Jose Business Journal}}</ref><ref name="Scranton 2012-01-24">{{cite news |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetimes-tribune/obituary.aspx?pid=155622033 |title=Susan Ann Ventre |type=Obituary |work=[[Scranton Times]] |via=[[Legacy.com]] |date=24 January 2012}}</ref> They separated in 2014,{{r|Wallace 2014}} and were divorced {{asof|2017|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Swisher |first=Kara |date=2017 |url=http://www.recode.net/authors/kara-swisher|title=Kara Swisher Biography and Ethics Statement|publisher=re/code|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230150413/https://www.recode.net/authors/kara-swisher |archive-date=30 December 2017}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* {{cite web |last1=Heney |first1=Paul |title=Leadership in Engineering: Megan Smith's vision of technology for all |url=https://www.designworldonline.com/leadership-in-engineering-megan-smiths-vision-of-technology-for-all/ |website=Design World |date=14 January 2019 |publisher=Design World |access-date=22 March 2019}}
* {{cite web |last1=Heney |first1=Paul |title=Leadership in Engineering: Megan Smith's vision of technology for all |url=https://www.designworldonline.com/leadership-in-engineering-megan-smiths-vision-of-technology-for-all/ |website=Design World |date=14 January 2019 |access-date=22 March 2019}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{commons category}}
* [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/ostp/about/leadershipstaff/smith Official biography] at [[Office of Science and Technology Policy]]
* [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/ostp/about/leadershipstaff/smith Official biography] at [[Office of Science and Technology Policy]]
* [http://www.makers.com/megan-smith Profile of Megan Smith, U.S. Chief Technology Officer] - ''[[Makers: Women Who Make America]]''
* [http://www.makers.com/megan-smith Profile of Megan Smith, U.S. Chief Technology Officer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022043649/http://www.makers.com/megan-smith |date=2014-10-22 }} - ''[[Makers: Women Who Make America]]''
* {{C-SPAN|72020}}


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Revision as of 17:40, 28 July 2024

This article is about the technology executive. For the head coach at Marshall, see Megan Smith (softball). For the head coach of the Belmont softball team, see Megan Rhodes Smith. For the curler, see Megan Smith (curler). Not to be confused with Negan Smith.
Megan Smith
3rd Chief Technology Officer of the United States
In office
September 4, 2014 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byTodd Park
Succeeded byMichael Kratsios
Personal details
Born (1964-10-21) October 21, 1964 (age 60)
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1999; div. 2017)​
Children2
EducationMassachusetts Institute of
Technology (BS, MS)
Smith's voice
recorded June 2015

Megan J. Smith (born October 21, 1964)[1] is an American engineer and technologist. She was the third Chief Technology Officer of the United States (U.S. CTO) and Assistant to the President, serving under President Barack Obama. She was previously a vice president at Google, leading new business development and early-stage partnerships across Google's global engineering and product teams at Google for nine years, was general manager of Google.org,[2] a vice president briefly at Google[x] where she co-created WomenTechmakers,[3] is the former CEO of Planet Out and worked as an engineer on early smartphones at General Magic.[4][5] She serves on the boards of MIT[6] and Vital Voices, was a member of the USAID Advisory Committee on Voluntary Aid[7] and co-founded the Malala Fund.[8][9] Today Smith is the CEO and Founder of shift7. On September 4, 2014, she was named as the third (and first female) U.S. CTO, succeeding Todd Park,[10][11] and serving until January, 2017.[12]

Early life and education

Smith grew up in Buffalo, New York, and Fort Erie, Ontario,[13][circular reference] and spent many summers at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, where her mother, Joan Aspell Smith, was director of the Chautauqua Children's School.[14] Smith graduated from City Honors School in 1982.[15] She went on to receive her S.B. in 1986 and an S.M. in 1988, both in mechanical engineering, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and completed her master's thesis work at the MIT Media Lab. She was a member of the MIT student team that designed, built and raced a solar car 2000 miles across the Australian outback in the first cross-continental solar car race.[16]

Career

Following MIT, Smith worked at a variety of start-ups, including Apple in Tokyo and General Magic located in Mountain View, California, as product design lead on nascent smartphone technologies[17] before she got involved with the launch of Planet Out in 1995. She joined formally in 1996 as COO and from 1998 she was Planet Out's Chief Executive Officer, where she expanded partnerships, built new business models, grew revenue and global users, raised venture funding, and later presided over that company's merger with Gay.com.[18][19]

In 2003, she joined Google,[20] where she rose to the vice president of new business development, leading early-stage partnerships, pilot explorations and technology licensing across Google's global engineering and product teams. She led many early acquisitions, including Keyhole (Google Earth), Where2Tech (Google Maps), and Picasa, and later also took over as general manager of Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org.[21] Smith co-created and co-hosted Google's Solve for X solution acceleration programs 2012-14.[22] In 2012, she started Google's "Women Techmakers" diversity initiative to expand visibility, community and resources for technical women globally.[23]

In 2014, she left Google to become the 3rd U.S. CTO. In that role, Smith recruited top tech talent to serve across government collaborating on pressing issues, from AI, data science and open source, to inclusive economic growth, entrepreneurship, structural inequalities, government tech innovation capacity, STEM/STEAM engagement, workforce development, and criminal justice reform. Her teams focused on broad capacity building by co-creating all-hands-on-deck initiatives, including the public-private program TechHire, the Computer Science for All initiative, and the Image of STEM campaigns.[24] In addition, she launched the campaign to #FindtheSentiments, which is an effort to find the Declaration of Sentiments, a piece of history from the Seneca Falls Convention.[25][26] After leaving the White House in 2017, Smith became CEO and Founder of shift7 which works on tech-forward, inclusive innovation for faster impact on systemic economic, social, and environmental challenges.[27] At shift7, the team continued co-creating the United Nations Solutions Summit and other programs; in 2017 Smith helped launch Tech Jobs Tour, aimed at promoting diversity in the technological sector, traveling to over 20 U.S. cities to help empower and connect local talent to their nascent tech sectors.[28] Smith serves on the board of MIT,[29] Vital Voices, LA2028, Think of Us as well as on the advisory boards for the MIT Media Lab and the Algorithmic Justice League. Additionally, she currently serves on the global Advisory Council for CFK Africa, a leading NGO working in Kenyan informal settlements.[30] She is also a member of the Award Selection Committee for the distinguished Carroll L. Wilson Award at MIT.[31] Smith has contributed to a broad range of engineering projects, including a bicycle lock,[32] space station construction program, and solar cookstoves.[33]

She is an active proponent of STEM education and innovation.[34]

Her appeal for technologists to work in public service at the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing inspired several Harvard University students to create the national non-profit organization Coding it Forward which creates data science and technology internship program for undergraduate and graduate students in United States federal agencies.[35]

Smith was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2017 for leading technological innovation teams and efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in STEM industries both nationally and globally, and elected a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018.

Recognition

  • World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer 2001, 2002[36]
  • Listed by Out magazine in 2012[37] and 2013,[38] as one of the 50 most powerful LGBT people in the United States
  • Reuters Digital Vision Program Fellow at Stanford, 2003-2004[39]
  • Top 25 Women on the Web, 2000[40]
  • Upside Magazine 100 Digital Elite, 1999 and 2000[41]
  • Advertising Age i.20, 1999[42]
  • GLAAD Interactive Media Award for Internet Leadership, 1999[43]
  • Charging Buffalo Award, 2015[44]
  • Matrix Hall of Fame, 2015[45]
  • Business Insider 23 Most Powerful LGBTQ+ People in Tech, 2019[46]

Personal life

Smith married technology columnist Kara Swisher in Marin County in 1999 at a time when same-sex marriage was not legal in California.[47][48] They had additional legal wedding ceremonies in 2003 in Niagara Falls, Canada, in 2004 as part of the San Francisco 2004 same-sex weddings, and again in San Francisco, California in November 2008 in advance of California Proposition 8, which declared same-sex marriages invalid in California.[48] Smith and Swisher have two sons, Louis and Alexander.[16][18][49][50] They separated in 2014,[47] and were divorced as of 2017.[51]

References

  1. ^ "Megan Smith". Computer Hope. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  2. ^ "The Women at Google". Cubicle Coach. Marie Claire. March 12, 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Women Techmakers". Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  4. ^ Lehoczky, Etelka (October 26, 2004). "Six who see the future". The Advocate. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  5. ^ Boss, Suzie (Fall 2010). "Do No Evil". Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Corporation elects new members". MIT News. June 3, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  7. ^ "Advisory Committee On Voluntary Foreign Aid Members". United States Agency for International Development. 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  8. ^ Smith, Megan (November 10, 2012). "Introducing: The Malala Fund". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  9. ^ "Board of Directors". Vital Voices. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  10. ^ Scola, Nancy (September 4, 2014). "White House names Google's Megan Smith the next Chief Technology Officer of the United States". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  11. ^ Howard, Alex (September 4, 2014). "Google[x] VP Megan Smith busts Silicon ceiling as first female US CTO". Tech Republic. Retrieved October 3, 2014. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  12. ^ "Megan Smith". LinkedIn.[dead link]
  13. ^ Mabbett, Andy (6 June 2015). "File:Megan Smith voice.flac". Retrieved 21 June 2015 – via WikiMedia Commons.
  14. ^ Anderson, Dale (September 4, 2014). "Obama names City Honors graduate U.S. chief technology officer". The Buffalo News. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  15. ^ Kresse, William A. "Distinguished Alumni". City Honors School at Fosdick-Masten Park. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  16. ^ a b McCluskey, Eileen (15 October 2007). "Megan Smith '86, SM '88: Pioneering change from PlanetOut to Google Earth". MIT Technology Review. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ISSN 1099-274X.
  17. ^ Langway, Lynn; Pamela Kruger; P. B. Gray (March 1, 2001). "25 Women Who Are Making It Big In Small Business". CNN. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  18. ^ a b Hopkins, Jim (June 21, 2000). "PlanetOut CEO taps gay market Exec becomes power player in elusive $450B industry". USA Today. p. 7B. Retrieved 1 June 2012.[dead link]
  19. ^ Kuczynski, Alex (16 November 2000). "2 Companies In Gay Media Plan to Merge". The New York Times. p. 4. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  20. ^ Hafner, Katie (September 3, 2003). "3 succeed in computer field, but women still lag". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  21. ^ Hardy, Quentin (24 February 2009). "Re-engineering Google.org". Forbes. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  22. ^ Woollacott, Emma (February 7, 2012). "'Solve for X' to tackle world's biggest problems". TG Daily. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  23. ^ "Women Techmakers". www.womentechmakers.com. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  24. ^ "Office of the Chief Technology Officer". White House.
  25. ^ "The Lost History: Help Us Find the Declaration of Sentiments". whitehouse.gov. 2015-10-14. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  26. ^ Robbins, Liz; Roberts, Sam (2019-02-09). "Early Feminists Issued a Declaration of Independence. Where Is It Now?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  27. ^ "Team". shift7. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  28. ^ Arnold, Jenna (2017-11-08). "First Female CTO Of The U.S. Megan Smith Hopes Tech's History Can Repeat Itself". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2013-08-19. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  29. ^ MIT News Office (June 3, 2011). "Corporation elects new members". MIT News. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  30. ^ "Meet Our Team | Staff, Board, and Advisory Council". CFK Africa. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  31. ^ Smith, Megan (November 10, 2014). "Distinguished Fellowships - Carroll L. Wilson". MIT. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  32. ^ McNichol, Tom. "Wired 8.06: Must Read". Wired News. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  33. ^ "Megan Smith". Semester at Sea. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  34. ^ Smith, Megan (October 11, 2013). "'Passion, Adventure and Heroic Engineering'... and Talent Inclusion". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  35. ^ Kelman, Steve. "Students recruiting students into federal tech". FCW. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  36. ^ McCluskey, Eileen (2007-10-15). "Megan Smith '86, SM '88". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  37. ^ Out.com editors (17 April 2012). "The Power List: MEGAN SMITH". Out. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  38. ^ Out.com editors (10 April 2013). "The Power List: MEGAN SMITH". Out. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  39. ^ "Digital Vision Fellowship". tow.com. 2003-09-11. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  40. ^ Mayfield, Kendra (February 1, 2000). "Women Geeks Honor Their Own". Wired News. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  41. ^ "Steve Jobs Edges Out Bill Gates for Top Billing Among UPSIDE's 1999 Elite 100; ..." (Press release). November 15, 1999. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  42. ^ Fitzgerald, Kate (November 1, 1999). "i.20: PlanetOut's Megan J. Smith". Advertising Age. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  43. ^ Naquin, Robert J.; Naquin-Delain, Marsha, eds. (6 August 1999). "GLAAD Honors PlanetOut & Geocities". cruisin' the web. Ambush magazine. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  44. ^ Thompson, Melissa (14 August 2015). "SAVE THE DATE: 37th Annual Buffalo Nite to Honor Megan Smith Sept. 16". WashingtonExec. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  45. ^ "MATRIX HALL OF FAME". NYWIC. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  46. ^ Leskin, Paige (2 June 2019). "The 23 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  47. ^ a b Wallace, Benjamin (15 July 2014). "Kara Swisher Is Silicon Valley's Most Feared and Well-Liked Journalist. How Does That Work?". New York.
  48. ^ a b Swisher, Kara (10 November 2008). "My Four Weddings, How getting gay married became an Olympic sport for me". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  49. ^ Schubarth, Cromwell (September 16, 2011). "Google working on social, news reader". San Jose Business Journal.
  50. ^ "Susan Ann Ventre". Scranton Times (Obituary). 24 January 2012 – via Legacy.com.
  51. ^ Swisher, Kara (2017). "Kara Swisher Biography and Ethics Statement". re/code. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Megan Smith.
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