John F. “Sandy” Smith is the founding Chair of the Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences, or IRiSS.
IRiSS trains new generations of social scientists in the most advanced and innovative research methods, and provides them with a platform for collaboration across such disciplines as anthropology, economics, political science, sociology, communication and psychology, as well as the university's professional schools. It hosts five research centers that focus on some of the most pressing social issues of the modern era, including Big Data, poverty and inequality, and population studies. It also promotes the study of the impact of philanthropy, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and government agencies, democratic stability and the study of American elections. John F. “Sandy” Smith of Womble Carlyle is a graduate of Stanford University in Palo Alto and served as a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees. He earned his law degree from Duke University School of Law. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. As a Senior Partner of Womble Carlyle's Corporate and Securities practice, John F. “Sandy” Smith is considered one of the firm’s leading deal makers. He works out of Womble Carlyle’s Atlanta office and is instrumental in the opening of the firm’s Silicon Valley office. Smith serves as Trusted Advisor to Fortune 500 Companies, middle market growth companies, equity funds and their portfolio companies. Business attorney John F. “Sandy” Smith grew up in Atlanta, and works in the Atlanta office of Womble Carlyle. Smith is proud to call Atlanta his home, and one of his proudest years was spent in the Leadership Atlanta program. Leadership Atlanta is the oldest sustained community leadership program in the United States. The organization seeks to connect and inspire leaders to strengthen the communities that comprise the metropolitan Atlanta area.
Each year, 75 established community leaders are chosen to represent Metro Atlanta’s diverse population. Participants meet for retreats, seminars, service projects, discussion groups and tours to explore issues that confront and challenge the community. Leadership Atlanta also helps build relationships of trust and mutual understanding, with the objective of building a better community for everyone in the City of Atlanta and surrounding areas. Leadership Atlanta has its origins in the late 1960s; concerned members of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce formed the group to address the need for an organization of active and well-informed leaders. It grew amidst the economic and cultural challenges of the time to develop into the model organization that it is today - one connecting the area's top business executives, elected officials, entrepreneurs, community organizers and nonprofit leaders. Smith is deeply involved in the city's cultural and commercial life in other ways as well. He sits on the Board of Councilors of the Carter Center, the nonprofit humanitarian group founded by former President Jimmy Carter, and supports the Atlanta BeltLine project, among many other significant endeavors. He also has served on the Atlanta-based boards of trustees of the Paideia School, Columbia Seminary, Prevent Blindness Georgia, the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia and the President’s Council of the Woodruff’s Arts Center. He is the founding Chair of Odyssey Atlanta, a joint venture of The Westminster Schools (which he attended) and the Atlanta Public Schools, which provides summer educational enrichment for K-12 students. John F. “Sandy” Smith graduated from Stanford University in Palo Alto where he served on the Stanford University Board of Trustees. He received his MBA from The Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a JD from Duke University Law School. John F. “Sandy” Smith has devoted himself to community service in the areas of education, diversity and healthcare. He also chairs the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences at Stanford University (IRiSS) and serves on the advisory board of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR.) He is on the boards of the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia, the Paideia School, Prevent Blindness Georgia, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and the Carter Center. Smith was founding Chair of Odyssey Atlanta, a joint venture of The Westminster Schools and the Atlanta Public Schools, providing summer educational enrichment opportunities for K-12 students.
Sandy Smith of Womble Carlyle is a senior partner in Womble Carlyle’s Corporate and Securities Group. He works in the firm's Atlanta office and was instrumental in opening the firm’s Silicon Valley office. With the help of his team, he provides full service capability for unique business plans and goals, and this is something of which he is proud. He also launched and hosts Womble Carlyle’s Thought Leader Speaker Series, which brings in top business and academic innovators for candid discussions on a variety of topics. "I value being called on, or being able to call on business leaders in all walks of life and a variety of industries to be their trusted advisor,” Smith says. “Womble Carlyle’s core values of ‘Integrity, Devotion to Client and Respect for the Individual’ help us develop lasting relationships as trusted advisors.” He is ranked as a Super Lawyer and listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America. Chambers USA includes him among the nation’s top Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions lawyers. John F. “Sandy” Smith of Womble Carlyle graduated from Stanford University and served on the Stanford University Board of Trustees. He holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, and has served as a member of the MBA Advisory Board and as a lecturer and executive in residence at that institution, and at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. |