Mary L. Smith

Mary L. Smith (born August 28, 1962) is an American lawyer, senior executive, and civic leader in private and public sectors. She served as the CEO of the Indian Health Services from October 2015 to February 2017, a $6 billion national healthcare system with 15,000 employees, 26 hospitals and over 50 clinics. Prior to this, Smith served as Associate Counsel to the President and Associate Director of Policy Planning in the Clinton Administration, and as a senior trial attorney in the Department of Justice during the Obama Administration. In 2009, she nominated by President Barack Obama to be the Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice. However, she was never confirmed by the Senate, and the White House in 2010 decided not to renominate her to the post. In 2023, she was sworn in as president of the American Bar Association. She is the first Native American woman to serve in this role.

Early life and education
A Native American and enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, Smith was born in Chicago. She earned a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in May 1984 from Loyola University Chicago. She attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law from 1988 until 1989, and then transferred to the University of Chicago Law School, where she spent her final two years and earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1991.

Smith worked as a law clerk for United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Judge R. Lanier Anderson III from 1991 until 1992.

Professional career
Smith worked as a systems programmer for Walgreens from 1984 until 1987 and as a senior systems engineer for Northern Trust Corporation from 1987 until 1988.

After law school, Smith took a job as an associate with the law firm of Ross & Hardies, where she worked from 1992 until 1994. From 1994 until 1996, Smith worked as a trial attorney for the Commercial Litigation Branch of the United States Department of Justice's Civil Division.

From June 1996 until November 1996, Smith worked for the campaign to re-elect President Bill Clinton. She then worked for several months afterward as a revenue assistant for Clinton's inaugural committee.

For several months in 1997, Smith served as a policy/research analyst for the Welfare to Work Partnership in Washington, D.C. From May 1997 until April 2000, Smith worked as the Associate Director of Policy Planning for the United States Domestic Policy Council in the Clinton administration. From April 2000 until January 2001, Smith served as the Associate Counsel to the President in the White House Counsel's office.

From 2001 until 2005, Smith worked as a senior associate for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Washington, D.C. She then worked from 2005 until 2007 as senior litigation counsel for Tyco International.

From June 2008 until November 2009, Smith worked as a partner at the Chicago law firm of Schoeman Updike Kaufman & Scharf.

Smith was a counselor for the U.S. Department of Justice from 2010 until 2012. She then became general counsel for the Illinois Department of Insurance in June 2012.

Nomination to be Assistant Attorney General
On April 8, 2009, Smith was nominated by President Barack Obama to be Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ's Tax Division. Republican senators have objected to Smith's nomination, contending that she has little to no tax experience. However, in June 2009, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted 12-7 along party lines to send Smith's nomination to the full Senate.

While waiting to be confirmed, Smith resigned from Schoeman Updike and moved to Washington to take a job in the United States Department of Justice Civil Division as a senior counsel to Tony West, the Assistant Attorney General for that division. Smith began in that job on February 10, 2010.

Although Smith would have been the highest-ranking Native American ever to serve in the Department of Justice, Republicans in the Senate twice returned Smith's nomination to the White House. After Republicans did so in August 2010, White House officials said Obama would not renominate her to the post and that she would pursue other opportunities.

Indian Health Service (IHS)
As the CEO of the IHS, Smith managed a $6 billion national healthcare system with 15,000 employees, 26 hospitals and over 50 clinics to enhance healthcare delivery for 2.2 million American Indian and Alaska Native people. She implemented a strategic framework using data analytics to guide operational improvements and quality care enhancements, while also addressing resource constraints and systemic challenges. Smith's leadership focused on the recruitment and retention of staff, integrating innovative practices like telehealth to expand access, and deploying new tools to sustainably improve service delivery across the network.

American Bar Association
Smith was sworn in as president of the American Bar Association on August 8, 2023, becoming the first Native American woman to serve in this role. As President, Smith’s major initiatives include the creation of the Task Force for American Democracy and the Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence.

Personal
Smith lives in Lansing, Illinois and also has a condominium unit in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago.