Tara Smith
Public administrator
Tacoma,WA
Summary
My strongest asset is my natural ability to lead people in any context, using soft skills effectively, building consensus and organizational confidence, creating an intentional work environment where diversity is evident, employees thrive, and their unique perspectives and identities are valued. I am a strategic thinker and visionary, always seeing the bigger picture to create durable change and impact systems.
Other key skills include:
- Transformational, executive level leader with more than 20 years of experience; a consensus builder, leading people with clarity and compassion
- Effective implementer of large and complex operations, logistics and project management; certified by the Project Management Institute
- Skilled strategic thinker, transforming strategic plans into real world solutions and measurable benchmarks; using human centered design and data to identify and solve multifaceted problems that drive organizational change Extensive administrative experience in the implementation of effective, centralized HR and financial support services across large teams within an even larger organization
- Extensive experience in the oversight of major capital construction projects and contracting, including Public Private Partnerships; overseeing a $1.2 billion capital program
- Experienced in the oversight of large, complex facilities management systems and programs, including security management and stewardship of the Washington state capitol campus
- Experienced in the oversight of large, public sector contract acquisitions and supply chain programs, overseeing the strategic sourcing of statewide contracts worth $2 billion in goods and services purchases per year Accomplished public speaker and communicator, both persuasively and inspirationally
- Dedicated mentor and advocate for social justice and equity, and inclusion of women in leadership roles.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director, Department of Enterprise Services
State of Washington
Olympia, WA
09.2021 - 01.2025
- Appointed by Governor Jay Inslee as a member of the Executive Cabinet. As Director, I was responsible for the governance and oversight of 1,000 employees providing efficient, centralized services to state agencies and political subdivisions.
- Oversaw a $300 million operating budget and a capital program of $1.2 billion across 15 different divisions and many programs including: contracts and procurement, human resources, buildings and grounds, real estate, facility professional services, printing and mailing, consolidated mail, surplus equipment disposition, public works, risk management, fleet management, workforce support and development, care and custody of the country’s largest state capitol campus, employee assistance and wellbeing, and the administrative support of over 40 small state agencies and political subdivisions.
- “Agency of the Year” award by Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council – November 2024
- Implementation of the state’s first supplier diversity procurement policy and training of over 30,000 state employees
- Executive Committee, National Association of State Chief Administrators
- Implementation of role clarity and organizational alignment work that led to a transformational approach to strategic visioning and the agency’s first strategic plan
- Implementation of mandatory DEI training to 68,000 employees statewide
- Capitol campus classification as an arboretum
- 2022 Professional Grounds Management Society Green Star Award
- 2023 National Conference of State Fleet Administrators Environmental Leadership Award
- Established performance metrics and evaluated staff to promote continuous improvement.
- Facilitated cross-agency collaboration between teams by encouraging open communication channels.
Director, Internal Services Department
Miami-Dade County
Miami, FL
05.2015 - 07.2021
- Responsible for the management of over 1,000 employees and an operating budget of $317 million in one of Miami-Dade County’s largest and most complex operational departments; directing the emergency response command center of the department in countywide emergencies; maintaining effective and ongoing communication with the County Mayor and administration, Department Directors, and 13 elected Board of County Commissioners to drive the approval of legislation and policy necessary to support countywide operations; creating a work environment that is inclusive and equitable for all employees and mentoring staff at all levels to grow into leadership roles; and more.
- As Director, responsible for a wide array of business lines across 10 different divisions in support of other County departments including but not limited to facilities management, strategic sourcing, capital projects management, fleet management, small business development, real estate development, surplus and materials management, risk management.
- Restored employee morale and built a high-performance management team by restructuring and developing existing staff in a newly created department; creating culture of humble service, perpetual learning, and innovative thinking.
- Led the County’s first P3 project team and established the County’s first Office of P3 Development
- Recipient of multiple awards for public procurement excellence, including the National Procurement Institute’s 25th Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for 2020; and the Florida Association of Public Procurement’s Best Practice Award for Innovation in the Procurement Process.
- Ranked first place by 100 Best Fleets of North America in 2019, fourth place in 2021 and tenth place in 2018.
- Small Business Development – certified over 1,900 small and disadvantaged local businesses; ensuring that County contracts are meeting goals to support diversity and equity with inclusion of small and local businesses, awarding more than 20% of spending in contracts to small businesses per year; enforcing wage requirements and recovery; driving the implementation of social equity policies through the application of contract preferences and measures; providing outreach and education to developing businesses.
Assistant Director
Internal Services Department
12.2014 - 05.2015
- Oversaw the divisions of Facilities and Utilities Management, Real Estate Development, Design and Construction Services, and the Office of ADA Compliance. Acted as Director-designee over all aspects of the Department as needed on behalf of the Director.
Division Director, Design and Construction Services
Internal Services Department
11.2013 - 12.2014
- Directed major and minor capital improvement and construction renovation projects to ensure compliance with County building codes, and state and federal laws; responsible for the development and fiscal management of new vertical construction and renovation of existing facilities, including but not limited to roofs, interior design, space planning, and signage.
Manager, Strategic Initiatives
Internal Services Department
07.2013 - 11.2013
- Provided leadership and advice to the Director’s office in the development and implementation of the department’s strategic business plan, performance measures and goals; provided scope development of a countywide Enterprise Resource Planning system to integrate existing supply chain, asset management, and project management systems with a new software product.
Chief Deputy Supervisor of Elections
Miami-Dade Elections Department
12.2007 - 07.2013
- Second in command over a department of 91 permanent and up to 1,200 seasonal employees.
- Managed the effective operational logistics of all elections for 1.3 million registered voters across 34 municipalities, more than 600 polling places, including the presidential elections of 2004, 2008 and 2012;
- Directed policy and procedures for all divisions including voter registration, logistics, ballot coding and printing, candidate qualifying, public records retention, absentee ballots, budget and finance, community outreach, and poll worker training; development of departmental strategic plan and procedures; monitoring legislative impacts at federal, state, and local levels; working directly with County leadership in the performance of all duties.
Special Advisor
Miami-Dade County - Management Watch Team
Miami, FL
05.2010 - 03.2011
- Company Overview: Jackson Health System
- Special assignment by the County Manager, while in the position of Chief Deputy Supervisor of Elections, to assist in the County’s oversight of Jackson Health System after the Board of County Commissioners placed the hospital on Management Watch.
- Led a team to review extensive data related to financial, operational, and procurement processes at the hospital and make recommendations for improvement;
- Worked directly with hospital executives and provided regular briefings to the County Manager and the Mayor.
- Made recommendations to the hospital and county administration for process and administrative improvements, including the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning software system for procurement and financials.
- Researched best practices in public procurement, prepared reports comparing hospital contracting policy with practices.
Assistant to the County Manager
Miami-Dade County Manager’s Office
02.2005 - 12.2007
- Responsible for the effective oversight of 20 different Miami-Dade County departmental operations in the areas of public safety, elections, human resources, procurement, and strategic planning, including but not limited to:
- Coordination of countywide special events including SuperBowl XLI, NASDAQ-100 Open Tennis Tournament, and all countywide elections
- Management of Board of County Commissioners agendas – coordinated legislative agenda process for County Manager; review, analyze, and brief County Manager on all legislation
- Review, analyze, and track departmental legislation
- Respond to multiple assignments by County Mayor, Manager, and Assistant County Manager; manage and track departmental assignments; provide assistance and guidance in County process and procedure; mediate and resolve citizen concerns; prepare executive summaries of complex governmental issues.
Management Trainee
Miami-Dade County
07.2004 - 02.2005
- Participant in a mentorship program designed to connect management trainees with experienced County administrators and leaders. Project assignments were selected by the Trainee and rotated on a quarterly basis, including the Elections Department, the Office of Strategic Business Management, and the Office of Community Image.
Senior Review Specialist
Foster Care Review, Inc.
01.1998 - 01.2004
- Managed the daily operations of a not-for-profit, volunteer-based program designed to assist the juvenile court in the judicial review of children in the foster care system, including but not limited to:
- Hiring, training and supervising Review Specialists to conduct judicial review hearings
- Developing program outcomes, indicators and performance objectives
- Recruitment and training of new volunteers and coordination of volunteer schedules
- Analyzing monthly data and preparing summary reports; contract and grant compliance reporting
- Interviewing legal parties and witnesses, and preparing comprehensive judicial reports with recommendations for the disposition of children in foster care
- Conducting quality assurance review of all outgoing judicial reports
- Drafting judicial review policies and procedures
- Developing and conducting training of community partners
Education
Senior Executive Leadership Certificate -
Florida International University Center for Excellence Chapmanville Leadership Development Program
01.2017
Driving Government Performance for Miami-Dade County Executives -
Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Education
05.2010
Master of Science - Public Administration
Florida International University, School of Policy And Management
Miami, FL04.2004
Bachelor of Science - Social Work
Florida International University, School of Social Work
Miami, FL04.1998
Skills
- Financial oversight
- Organizational strategy
- Policy development
- Overall agency governance
- Risk management
- Supplier diversity
- Role clarity
- Performance metrics
- Stakeholder engagement
- Change management
- People management
- Performance management
- Human resources management\
- Organizational culture
Community Service
- Board Member, Girl Scouts of Western Washington, 01/01/21, Present
- Co-Chair, Women’s Leadership Executive Council, United Way of Miami-Dade, 01/01/13, 01/01/21
- Adult Volunteer, Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida (GSTF), 01/01/19, 01/01/21
- Board Member, Casa Valentina, Inc., 01/01/15, 01/01/21
- Mentor, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Inc., 01/01/15, 01/01/21
Accomplishments
- Public Service Distinguished Alumni, Florida International University
- Agency of the Year, Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Spanish
Professional
Affiliations
- Executive Committee, National Association of State Chief Administrators
- Member, National Association of Public Administration
- Former member, Society for Human Resource Management
Certification
- Project Management Institute
- Certified Elections Registration Administrator
References
References available upon request.
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline
Director, Department of Enterprise Services
State of Washington
09.2021 - 01.2025
Director, Internal Services Department
Miami-Dade County
05.2015 - 07.2021
Assistant Director
Internal Services Department
12.2014 - 05.2015
Division Director, Design and Construction Services
Internal Services Department
11.2013 - 12.2014
Manager, Strategic Initiatives
Internal Services Department
07.2013 - 11.2013
Special Advisor
Miami-Dade County - Management Watch Team
05.2010 - 03.2011
Chief Deputy Supervisor of Elections
Miami-Dade Elections Department
12.2007 - 07.2013
Assistant to the County Manager
Miami-Dade County Manager’s Office
02.2005 - 12.2007
Management Trainee
Miami-Dade County
07.2004 - 02.2005
Senior Review Specialist
Foster Care Review, Inc.
01.1998 - 01.2004
Senior Executive Leadership Certificate -
Florida International University Center for Excellence Chapmanville Leadership Development Program
Driving Government Performance for Miami-Dade County Executives -
Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Education
Master of Science - Public Administration
Florida International University, School of Policy And Management
Bachelor of Science - Social Work
Florida International University, School of Social Work
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