Biography
Kelly D. Smith, DNP, MN RN, is a nurse educator who held the distinction as a Certified Nurse Educator from the National League of Nursing and Board Certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Clinical Specialist in Public/Community Health Nursing, along with Advanced Practice Registered Nurse licensure from the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. She brings 31 years of clinical and administrative nursing experience across the lifespan in hospitals, clinics, schools, correctional settings, home health, and nursing homes. Dr. Smith has served in progressively responsible nursing roles, including staff nurse, school nurse, nurse supervisor, nurse manager, nurse coordinator, nurse consultant, and health services director. Her specialty area is community and public health nursing, with a focus on social determinants of health, chronic disease prevention and management, and policy barriers that limit access to quality care for uninsured and underinsured populations. Later in her clinical career, she advanced equity in public health programs by developing government initiatives aimed at reducing disparities and improving health outcomes for all Louisianans. She is passionate about helping others understand the midstream factors that shape social needs and influence health outcomes in the pursuit of health equity. In her former role as Dean, she advocated for expanding the community’s access to quality healthcare by preparing competent, safe nurses to enter the local workforce. She believes that, in addition to meeting patients’ acute care needs, nurses must also emphasize preventive health education and address social needs. She enjoys working in undergraduate nursing programs to help others achieve their goal of becoming nurses and, more importantly, to increase diversity among the next generation of professional nurses serving the local community and beyond. She finds it rewarding to give back to the nursing profession by mentoring, motivating, and helping students learn and demonstrate the art and science of nursing in both classroom and clinical settings.
Dr. Smith is a New Orleans native and resident who is active in community service through membership and leadership roles in the Rho Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Xi Psi At-Large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, the Dillard University Professional Organization of Nurses, the Southeast Louisiana Black Nurses Association, and the Crescent City Chapter of the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. She also serves on the board of Heart N Hands, Inc., is Lay Leader at Cornerstone United Methodist Church, and is a member of its Health and Wellness Ministry.
