Jo Smith's Profile

Professional

Jo Smith is a management consultant, executive coach and speaker.  She is the President of Jo Smith Associates, Inc. (JSA), which she founded to help successful firms grow their business by leveraging their most important asset - the strength and talent of their people.  I consult and coach for one reason - I love to help people succeed, individually and collectively.

Jo has more than twenty years' experience in professional services leadership and business development and a lifetime of experience in leadership and human relations.  She helps firms and teams work together more collaboratively to reach shared goals.  And she helps firms and individual professionals use their talent and passion to market themselves and their services.  Her client list includes law, accounting, consulting and real estate firms, the Multnomah Bar Association, the University of Oregon School of Law and Willamette University's Graduate School of Management.  

Prior to returning from Los Angeles to her hometown of Portland in 2001, Jo excelled in the following management roles at Drake Beam Morin, a world-wide human resources consulting firm:

• Managing Consultant, Los Angeles, managing business unit profitability and quality and leading a team of professional consultants and staff.  Ms. Smith led the office from underperformance to one of the firm's top performing offices in less than 18 months, significantly exceeding measures of profitability, client satisfaction, and employee satisfaction. 
• Project Director, U.S., directing multi-million dollar projects with multiple sites across the U.S.
• Center Manager, U.S., managing and delivering on-site services at client locations in Oregon, Texas, Washington, and California.

Jo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing with high honors from Portland State University (PSU).  Faculty named her Marketing Student of the Year and she was an early inductee of Beta Gamma Sigma, the national honor society for business students.  She earned a Certificate in Human Resource Management and completed a 77-hour course in coaching.

Jo served on the Board of Directors of the National University of Natural Medicine.  She served on the National Board of Directors of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) USA and chaired its National Marketing Committee.  She is a Past President of the Portland State University (PSU) Alumni Association and of the Oregon Chapter of the American Marketing Association. 

I am the proud mother of three successful adult children and four wonderful grandchildren.  They are the joy and the greatest achievements of my life.

• My son Austin Willis is a general contractor in Bend Oregon.  You can see examples of his extraordinary work at www.willisbuilt.com or call him directly at 541.408.0637. 
• My son John Willis is a writer and artist in Astoria Oregon.  You can reach John at jwesleywillis@gmail.com for your writing needs.
• My daughter Cara Boyd and her husband Peter Boyd are public school teachers in Southern California.  Cara was named "Teacher of the Year" and is one of fewer than 10% of teachers with national certification.  Peter is the teacher whose former students visit when they come home from college.

When I am not working with my clients or spending time with my family, I like to drive open roads, hike scenic trails, walk new cities, meet interesting people and spend time with friends.   I love adventure, so occasionally I do something a little wild and crazy like jump from an airplane or take racecar driving lessons on Portland International Raceway.

Photo by Jo Smith, Mountain Gorillas, Rwanda