When the global pandemic hit in 2020, the City of Memphis was presented with a unique challenge of serving its citizens in ways it never had before. Simultaneously, Alex Smith, the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for the City of Memphis, and her HR team of 100 employees were challenged with how to best support the City’s 8,000+ employees and 5,000 retirees.
Tapping into the best thinking on her team, Alex and the HR Division utilized cloud-based technology to work remotely and collaborate effectively to implement internal contact tracing, COVID-19 testing and policies and vaccination incentives. The City of Memphis HR team even operated vaccination sites while still managing their critical HR roles, demonstrating and practicing Alex’s leadership philosophy: lead by example.
Alex Smith became the CHRO for the City of Memphis, reporting directly to Mayor Jim Strickland, in 2016. With 17+ years of private sector HR experience, Alex was keen on bringing private sector HR practices and innovation into the public sector, positioning Memphis as a model for 21st century city government.
Known as “Chief Smith,” Alex is a visionary working diligently to elevate the City of Memphis’ culture to enable Mayor Strickland’s purpose of “improving the quality of life for all Memphians, every day.” She is also known as the architect of the City’s updated talent management, training, labor relations, employee engagement, wellness, compensation, benefits, diversity and safety initiatives.
Alex has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, American City and County Magazine, Governing Magazine, and CNBC for transforming a government municipality to the 21st Century through cloud-based technology, and economic empowerment through workforce sustainability.
As a results-oriented leader, Alex and her HR team have been recognized by several organizations for their excellence in innovation – the HR team received the Chief Learning Officer Magazine Bronze Learning in Practice Award, Tennessee Municipal League Excellence in Human Resources Award, and most recently the 2021 HRO Today Association Award for Engagement Strategy Excellence in the North America region.
Alex was also named HRO Today Magazine’s CHRO of the Year 2020 and listed on both the 2021 Memphis Business Journal Top 40 under 40 and Memphis Urban Elite Top 40 under 40 lists.
Having been inspired and motivated by her family’s political background, her passion for helping the public and her desire to solve complex business issues, Alex has created proprietary programs throughout her career that move organizations forward. From honoring 1968 Sanitation Strike survivors by providing more financial stability, to creating programs that helped immigrant spouses establish fulfilling careers, to turning around cultures on life support, her life’s work begins and ends with a “people first” approach.
This “people first” approach extends beyond the professional realm into her community work, as Alex serves on the advisory council for 3SixtyInsights and the advisory board for Government Executive Media Group’s RouteFifty. She also serves on the board of directors for First8 Memphis, a non-profit committed to universal Pre-K education in Memphis.
Alex regularly serves as a guest panelist and conference presenter for national and global audiences. She has been a featured participant in Netflix series Real Talk: Blacks in HR, Hacking HR, Hope Global Forum, Aspen Institute, National League of Cities, SXSW, GovLoop, and International Personnel Management Association. She was also a keynote speaker for the TN Society of Human Resource Management and Public Sector Network. Alex was also recently named on Social Micole’s #HRforall “Most Inclusive HR Influencer List.”
Before serving as the CHRO for the City of Memphis, Alex built a notable career as a strategic HR partner for key business leaders, serving in HR management roles for Brightstar Corporation, and industry leaders, including Target Corporation, and Microsoft Corporation.
Alex holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from Duke University and a Masters in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota.
Social Media
LinkedIn:in//chroalexsmith Twitter and IG: @chroalexsmith