Women To Watch Awards 2026 honors Dr. Lori A. Smith

Few stories begin as far from the boardroom as Dr. Lori A. Smith's — and fewer still travel as far. Raised in Macon, Georgia, in a single-parent household of eight children, Smith was the daughter of a mother who worked three jobs, never finished high school, and was once denied her own dream of military service when her father refused to sign the enlistment papers. A school counselor told the young Lori that college wasn't for her — because her mother was a maid.

She applied anyway. She was accepted. She earned scholarships. And in October 1982, she enlisted in the United States Air Force — carrying her mother's unfinished dream forward into a career that would span four continents, six bases, and four decades of federal service.

What followed was extraordinary by any measure. Over a career stretching across military and civilian service, Dr. Smith exercised direct oversight of more than $143 billion in federal contracts — culminating as Director over the $128 billion Community Care Network at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the single largest healthcare contract portfolio in the federal government, delivering care across all 49 states served. Along the way, she managed disaster recovery contracting for nine hurricanes at FEMA, directed contracting operations at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, and was hand-selected — by name — for the most critical acquisition assignments at the VA. When a vendor protested a $27.5 billion contract she awarded, her contracting officer response was so meticulous and legally airtight that the vendor withdrew the protest entirely.

A U.S. Air Force veteran with 22 years of active duty, Dr. Smith's military record is, in its own right, a portrait of excellence: every single enlisted performance evaluation across her career received the highest possible marks and the highest possible promotion recommendation. She is the recipient of two Meritorious Service Medals, six Air Force Commendation Medals, the Joint Service Achievement Medal awarded by the Secretary of Defense, and the Department of the Army Commander's Award for Civilian Service — among many others. But the chapter that defines her now is the one she chose to write after retirement.

Today, Dr. Smith leads a dual-engine ecosystem built to serve the founders who too often go unseen. Acu-Elligent LLC — the economic engine — equips women-, veteran-, and minority-owned businesses with the strategy, certification training, and AI- powered tools they need to win government contracts and build sustainable revenue. Sowing Our Seeds Empowerment — the empowerment engine — is the nonprofit she founded to provide the holistic support, restoration, and community that keep entrepreneurs standing long enough to win. Together, they form a model rarely seen in the small business support space: one that refuses to ask high-achieving leaders to choose between success and sanity.

Dr. Smith is the host of the GovCon Clarity podcast, a published author of Winning Business Proposal Strategies for Success, and the architect of the VETR Framework for AI-powered proposal management. She is currently writing a memoir tracing her journey across ten chapters — from her mother's kitchen in Macon, Georgia, to the table where $128 billion in decisions were made.

Her accolades reflect the breadth of her impact: Black Impact Magazine's 100 Entrepreneurs to Know in 2025, the 2024 IMPACT Award, the FORUM Women in Leadership 2024 Award, Georgia Woman Veteran of the Year nominee, the Department of Veterans Affairs Outstanding Career Award, and Black Leaders Worldwide 2026 Women to Watch. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from National University and serves as an Advisor - Women in Leadership Executive Education Course, powered by ZSchool in collaboration with the University of North Georgia. She is certified in NLP Practice, Timeline Therapy, and Hypnotherapy — credentials that mirror her conviction that leadership is built as much in the inner life as in the boardroom.

Dr. Smith is a sought-after keynote speaker, a mentor to thousands, and an unflinching advocate for the women, veterans, and minority entrepreneurs whose voices have too often been left out of the rooms where decisions are made. Her signature statement captures both her authority and her invitation:

"I've sat on every side of the table — and I've read every line of the contract."

She is the empty chair that got filled. And she has spent her life making sure other chairs don't stay empty.