Leah Smiley, CDE®, is the Founder and President of the Society for Diversity Inc., a global Education Technology (EdTech) firm that specializes in next generation management practices and professional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Certification. As a LinkedIn “All-Star”, Mrs. Smiley has facilitated hundreds of presentations for more than 10,000 professionals and executives around the world, as well as consulted with over 100 organizations. The Society for Diversity was recognized twice on the 2022 and 2023 Inc. 5000 listing as one of the fastest growing companies in the Midwest.  

With more than 15 years of experience in the DEI field, as well as 25+ years as a master of training and organizational development, Mrs. Smiley is considered to be a DEI industry thought-leader. Through the Society for Diversity's subsidiary, the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC)®, Mrs. Smiley has helped thousands of DEI leaders achieve their dreams 50+ U.S. states and over 30+ other countries by conferring the industry-recognized Certified Diversity Professional (CDP)® and Certified Diversity Executive (CDE)® credentials. IDC is a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence and is currently pursuing accreditation through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Further, the Society for Diversity has registered IDC’s extensive catalog of intellectual property with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mrs. Smiley's work has been featured on international and national radio and television programs, as well as in Forbes, Fortune and Entrepreneur Magazines. Additionally, her work has been reported in the USA Today, Huffington Post, Business Insurance, The Indianapolis Star, The Indianapolis Business Journal, Indiana Minority Business Magazine, Associations Now, Franchising World Magazine, MEA Magazine, The Lexington Herald Leader, The Philadelphia Tribune, The Philadelphia Business Journal, Naples Daily News, The City Sentinel, Lee and Low Books, and more. She was also quoted in "The Inclusion Revolution Is Now: An Innovative Framework for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace" by Maura G. Robinson and published by iUniverse. 

Smiley has a blended family and lives in Indianapolis with her husband, whom she met while they were both political science majors at Hampton University. She also holds a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE)® designation from the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC)®.
 

About Us: The Society for Diversity is the largest professional association for diversity and inclusion in the world. Founded in 2009 for the purposes of helping employers to utilize diversity and inclusion to make money, save money or achieve organizational goals, the Society for Diversity has orchestrated amazing outcomes by employing technology, innovation and next generation practices to equity and inclusion work. The Society for Diversity is also the parent company of the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC)™, which designates qualification credentials through a professional diversity certification program. For more information about the Society for Diversity, the certification program or its enterprise-wide eLearning Academy, log onto www.societyfordiversity.org