Women To Watch Awards 2026 honors Dr. Alexis S. Smith

Dr. Alexis S. Smith is a transformational technology executive who has redefined innovation across three decades of distinguished CTO leadership. With more than 25 years of orchestrating breakthrough digital transformations for public sector agencies, utilities, healthcare enterprises, and educational institutions, she has consistently converted complex technological challenges into competitive advantages. She does not simply adapt to change. She architects it.

As Founder and CEO of Ascend AI NOW, LLC, Dr. Smith leads a forward-thinking AI governance and technology consulting firm dedicated to ethical and equitable AI adoption across healthcare, education, and nonprofit sectors. Her work is anchored in her proprietary Digital Stewardship FrameworkTM, a model that bridges cutting-edge innovation with accountability, equity, and human-centered design. She serves as Fractional CTO at Brilliant Corners Innovations and as Fractional Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at MedcoreHub, extending her executive leadership to organizations navigating the next generation of technology and AI solutions.

Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Smith has demonstrated exceptional leadership in

managing multi-million-dollar IT portfolios, directing comprehensive digital transformation initiatives serving more than 45,000 users, and functioning as a trusted advisor to C-suite executives on emerging technology strategies. Her expertise spans artificial intelligence implementation, enterprise systems architecture, and strategic program management, with particular focus on AI governance and customer-centric solution delivery.

Her commitment to public service is both longstanding and consequential. As CTO of Montgomery Public Schools, she led technology strategy across 61 schools while securing competitive federal and state grants that measurably improved educational outcomes for thousands of students. Her prior work in municipal government further demonstrated her dedication to leveraging technology for community benefit and public service excellence.

Dr. Smith’s academic journey reflects both intellectual depth and intentional purpose. She completed doctoral level coursework in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Information Systems and Technology at the University of Phoenix before transferring to Carolina Christian College, a historically Black biblical college founded in 1945 and located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to complete her dissertation. Grounded in biblical ethics and a faith-centered framework for responsible technology, she earned her Doctor of Ministry with a focus in Digital Stewardship: AI Ethics and Governance from Carolina Christian College (2026). She also holds a Master of Science in Information Systems Management from the University of Phoenix, a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Alabama State University, a proud HBCU, and an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Information Systems from Troy State University of Montgomery. This multilayered educational foundation uniquely positions her to bridge technical solutions with human-centered leadership, ethical governance, and organizational development, a reflection of her lifelong commitment to intellectual growth and scholarly rigor.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Dr. Smith is deeply committed to community

engagement and civic innovation. She is a Diamond Life Member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, where she serves on the International Executive Board as Graduate Director, providing strategic leadership and governance oversight to more than 125,000 members worldwide. She serves as a Board Member of the Zeta Phi Beta National Educational Foundation, an organization whose commitment to educational access is exemplified by the award of a $150,000 Chairman’s Scholarship to a deserving high school student, providing full fundingacross a four-year undergraduate program. She previously served as Board Chair of TechNOW, the employee resource network at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina dedicated to advancing women in technology. Her board leadership and mentorship work across these organizations reflect her unwavering belief in lifting others as she climbs.

As a sought-after thought leader and the authoritative voice behind Dr. Lex Talks Tech, Dr. Smith stands at the forefront of AI ethics, governance strategy, and enterprise digital transformation. She publishes The AI Power GapTM, a LinkedIn newsletter dedicated to AI governance, responsible AI adoption, and workforce leadership, because who governs intelligence governs the future. She helps organizations navigate technological complexity while ensuring inclusive and responsible adoption at every level, consistently championing holistic transformation that advances both institutional excellence and positive societal impact.

Dr. Alexis S. Smith leads from a place of authentic purpose. Every initiative she champions, every framework she architects, and every community she serves is a direct reflection of the change she has always declared she would create. She does not aspire to change. She effectuates change deliberately, unapologetically, and with the full weight of her scholarship, her experience, and her purpose behind every action. Her work is not a reflection of who she hopes to become. It is the definitive record of who she has always been. In her own words, “I am unmistakably, undeniably, and unapologetically me.”