Kim A. Smith

Kim A. Smith is a sought-after speaker, author, and health tech Founder/CEO. She’s spent 18 years mastering executive leadership skills within some of the top hospital systems in the industry – including Duke Medicine, Tenet Healthcare and MUSC Health. Kim’s corporate experience includes leadership development, hospital and large medical group operations, business development and acquisitions, global business expansion and health equity.

Most recently, Kim launched Health Evolve Technologies in 2023 to build innovative solutions at the intersection of care and culture. Her team of physicians, biobehavioral researchers and engineers have built Lauren. Lauren is a digital care navigator designed to help women manage their heart health and stress from pre-conception to beyond postpartum care. Kim went from a sketchpad idea to piloting an MVP with clinical and community-based organizations in less than 18 months. Health Evolve is a member organization of the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA). Kim and her team have been awarded several grants, sponsorships, and awards for their work in the deployment of Lauren. Their goal is to reach at least 2.5 million women in the US alone. Kim also has her eyes set on a global impact – having established a global subsidiary and nurtured research relationships in England and Africa. Her passion for transforming health equity and culture is a result of her own experience in losing a child due to HELLP Syndrome. She uses her voice at local and global tables of influence to transform how the voices of BIPOC communities are amplified. She is the past Board Chair for the Preeclampsia Foundation, and she is the current 2024/2025 Board President for the South Carolina Midlands Chapter of the American Heart Association. Kim was also selected recently as a Non-Voting Member of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Maternal Mental Health Task Force Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee for Women's Services (ACWS) in 2023.

Kim earned her master’s degree in health administration from the University of South Carolina and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wake Forest University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Global Health Equity at Meharry Medical College’s Global School of Health. She is applying her passion for global maternal health and innovation as a current Liberty Fellow – one of over 1500 global leaders connected to the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Kim has authored two leadership books. The most recent is titled People First then Profit: 5 Steps to Build a People Rich Culture. Outside of work and volunteer efforts, she is a wife and mom and three boys.