Meet the Founder: Leslie Lynn Smith
Leslie Lynn Smith is the Founder and Principal of Themis Strategic Partners, a consulting firm focused on developing actionable strategies at the intersection of equity and growth.
Immediately prior to founding Themis Strategic, Smith was the National Executive Director for GET Cities (Gender Equality in Tech) at SecondMuse. Her work is powered by a vision for American cities that leverages economic justice and inclusion to enrich and empower individuals, families, and communities.
Smith was born in Detroit during the city’s 1967 civil uprisings. The city’s history of fighting for racial justice inspired her work to build a more fair and just society where everyone has equal access to economic opportunity. Her years of work across the country in economic empowerment and community-based business development shaped her view that local entrepreneurs are best equipped to solve the challenges in their communities and create a more just and equitable society.
Before joining GET Cities, Smith was the founding president and CEO of Epicenter, a nonprofit hub for the greater Memphis entrepreneurial community. In that role, she drove strategy for a network of economic development, academic, corporate, and government partners to increase support for new and existing community-based businesses and entrepreneurs.
Smith was also the president and CEO of TechTown, Detroit’s most established business incubator and accelerator. She helped to launch novel urban economic development programs, create tech-based companies, and launch robust regional entrepreneurship collaborations.
Smith was director of business acceleration for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, overseeing the state’s $300M start-up investment portfolio. She also managed the statewide innovation economy and its partner network, including research universities, incubators, accelerators, and the philanthropic and private sectors.
Smith has been featured as aTEDx speaker as well as in Forbes, Fortune, and StyleBlueprint. She was named one of the Memphis Business Journal's "Super Women of Business" in 2019. Her active board service includes the Center for American Entrepreneurship where she is Vice Chair, the National Women's Business Council at the US Small Business Administration and the National Women's Entrepreneur Childcare Commission.
Leslie is happily married to Greg, a CPS kindergarten teacher and the mother of three amazing humans, Emily, Eric and Delaney who continually leave her in awe. She is also an avid reader, writer and walker. She loves sports (especially the Detroit Tigers), the arts in all shapes and forms, vacations with her friends and family and deliciously necessary naps. She is a lifelong learner and thrives in the presence of others.