Deborah L Wince Smith

Early life

Wince-Smith grew up in Akron, Ohio. Wince-Smith earned a degree in classical archaeology and graduated Magna cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College. She earned her master's degree from King’s College, University of Cambridge. Wince-Smith began her career as a program director for the National Science Foundation in 1976–1984 where she managed U.S. research programs with Eastern European countries and U.S. universities.

Professional career

Wince-Smith has more than 20 years of experience as a senior U.S. government official, including as Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy in the United States Department of Commerce during the George H. W. Bush administration. She was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a member of the Oversight Board of the Internal Revenue Service. Wince-Smith is also a member of the U.S. Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy. During the course of her career, she has testified before several committees of the U.S. House and Senate. She also serves on or chairs four Cabinet-level advisory groups, including a task force on nuclear energy for the Secretary of Energy.

Following her government tenure, Wince-Smith became active in governance of various national scientific labs. Wince-Smith sits on the Board of Governors for Argonne National Laboratory and the University of California President’s Council for Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. she is a member of the Board of Directors of the NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. and the NASDAQ Stock Exchange.

Wince-Smith has appeared on several international broadcast networks, including CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN, and Canada’s Report on Business Television. Wince-Smith is regularly interviewed by major newspapers like The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal as an expert on economic, science and technology policy. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance.

Throughout her career Wince-Smith has always been involved in the global competitiveness debate. During the Reagan Administration, she served as the Assistant Director for International Affairs and Competitiveness in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Wince-Smith designed and negotiated the landmark 1988 Head of Government Science Technology Agreement with Japan and developed President Ronald Reagan’s 1988 Competitiveness Initiative. She later directed President George H.W. Bush’s National Technology Initiative. Wince-Smith volunteers her time on the Board of Directors of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and is a trustee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. She also serves on the board of advisors of the Code of Support Foundation, a nonprofit military services organization.

In December 2006 she received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Michigan State University.

Personal life

Wince-Smith is married to former Deputy United States Trade Representative Ambassador Michael B. Smith and resides in McLean, Virginia. They have two sons, Devereux B. Smith and Christian M. Smith, both are U. S. Navy officers.