Penny R. Smith, Ed.D., has been the executive director of Academic Services at Northeast Ohio Medical University for more than three years, but the faculty at NEOMED aren’t the only people that she supports. Dr. Smith is also an advocate for those who have suffered from domestic abuse. She works to help the victims of situations that are overlooked or not fully recognized as the significant threats that they are.
The author of the book The Second Woman Bible Study and a board member of the Summit County Battered Women’s Shelter, Dr. Smith will soon add another accomplishment to her list. On Sept. 10, 2016, she will join senator Sherrod Brown and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Connie Schultz as a speaker at the Ohio Women’s Leadership Summit: Beating the Odds. The conference was conceived to emphasize women’s power and potential, with speakers selected to showcase their accomplishments. The event will be held at the Global Center for Health Innovation, also known as the Medical Mart, 1 St. Clair Avenue N.E., Cleveland, on Sept. 10, 2016. Registration begins at 8 a.m., and the program starts at 9 a.m. It is free and open to the public.
Dr. Smith, who holds a Doctor of Education degree in administrative leadership from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., has previously spoken out on the issue of domestic abuse. Her book offers guidance to women who have suffered from domestic abuse, and the Ohio Women’s Leadership Summit will allow women to benefit from her expertise on the subject.