Kathleen Smith

From her very first job at Disney World, Florida and then on to the Peace Corps, then raising a family while supporting a global leader in technology on assignment, then building her own London based HR consultancy for Chase Manhattan Bank and Lehman Brothers, Kathleen has always been looking at tables (real and statistical) and asking the question: who is missing? At Disney she was taught to look for the exhausted and the disabled traveler. In the Peace Corps she thrived in gaining multi- racial insights, as well as supporting those in disaster relief situations. In the corporate world she learned how to build a team that would serve families of so many definitions but with the one goal of thriving.

Her own family consists of six nationalities, and she gained family connections skills from her parents living in South Korea while her generation studied in Australia, England and the United States.

The day she walked into her first Families in Global Transition Conference in Indianapolis (then Houston, then Washington, DC), she was home. She felt at home due to the welcome from others living the expat life, from those who openly said, “So glad you’re here.” Whether speaking at one of the Kitchen Tables, or at a breakout session (Washington, DC) she had a sense of belonging.

Kathleen brings strategic planning based on her training in  Social Research and Qualitative Analysis for a wide welcome around kitchen and conference tables. Her aim for serving on the board of FIGT with responsibilities for Membership is to find ways to assist individuals regardless of unique social indicators know that you can pull up a chair- and pay the membership fee. There is room at the table, and you belong.

Contact Kathleen at membership@figt.org.