Shelly Porter Smith, PhD, DNP, APRN-BC, FNAP, FAAN, is a nurse practitioner, policy scholar, educator, and systems leader whose career has been defined by a sustained and inspiring commitment to translating nursing expertise into meaningful policy action. As Professor of Nursing and Public Policy and Senior Director of the Synergy Center at the University of Virginia, Dr. Smith works at the intersection of academic nursing, workforce development, regulation, and health system transformation. Her leadership has advanced innovative educational pathways, strengthened graduate nursing programs, and advanced policy addressing the workforce needs of the communities she serves.

Dr. Smith’s policy contributions extend across state and national arenas. She has served as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse representative on the Virginia Board of Nursing, the Virginia Joint Board of Nursing and Medicine, and previously served on the Commonwealth of Virginia Healthcare Workforce Development Authority, including as Secretary of the Executive Committee. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Center for Health Innovation (VCHI), on the executive committee of VCHI’s Research Consortium, and as a member of VCHI’s Virginia Task Force on Primary Care, leading efforts to strengthen primary care investments and sustainability across the Commonwealth. Through these influential roles, she has contributed to regulatory decision-making, workforce strategy, cross-sector health innovation, and policy discussions that shape nursing practice, education, primary care access, and health system value.

A defining feature of Dr. Smith’s remarkable work is her ability to translate complex policy issues into clear, actionable strategies. She has served as a Translational Research Fellow-in-Residence, mentored scholars in policy translation, contributed expert testimony and legislative guidance, and disseminated scholarship focused on scope of practice, health equity, and the role of doctoral nursing education in policy agenda setting. Her scholarship has advanced the visibility of nurses as policy leaders and strengthened the connection between evidence, education, and public decision-making.

Dr. Smith’s leadership record reflects the very qualities of a true change agent, vision, credibility, collaboration, and the skill to move ideas across academic, regulatory, legislative, and practice settings. Through her scholarship, service, mentorship, and advocacy, Dr. Smith has helped position nursing as a powerful voice in shaping healthier systems and more equitable care for all. Dr. Smith was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2021.