Nicole Smart is an accomplished executive leader with 15+ years of experience shaping strategy, driving organizational growth, and fostering inclusive cultures across the global sports and entertainment landscape. She has built her expertise through various positions at leading organizations, including Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, the National Football League (NFL), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the Actors’ Equity Association, as well as through consulting engagements focused on organizational strategy and leadership development. At the NFL, she made significant contributions, facilitating program, procedural, and strategic initiatives to enhance operational effectiveness. At the NCAA, she oversaw leadership development programs for individuals pursuing careers in athletics administration, and at the Actors’ Equity Association, she served as the inaugural Diversity Director, advancing  inclusion, and member engagement. In her most recent role as Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) at a leading management services organization, she drove DEIB strategy and received the Schneps Media 2024 Caribbean Life Impact Award, recognizing her transformative contributions to communities and industries alike.

As an Adjunct Faculty Member at NYU’s Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport, she teaches graduate-level courses on the business of professional sports. She has engaged directly with executives from BSE Global, FIFA World Cup 2025, LA 2028 Olympics, USA Track & Field, NCAA, NFL, and the LA Clippers, connecting students with leaders shaping the future of sport.

She also lends her expertise through multiple leadership roles: serving on the advisory board for Cornell ILRAA Sports & Entertainment Executives (SEE), sitting on the executive committees of both the NYU Arts & Entertainment Alumni Network and the NYU Women’s Initiative, and contributing as a board member and former Professional Development Chair of WISE NYC Metro (Women in Sports and Events), where she led signature programs like Dine & Learn and Financial Fitness. Previously, she served as Vice President of the National Association of Black Sports Professionals – NY Chapter, championing equity and inclusion across the sports industry.

She holds an MPS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University’s ILR School and a B.S. in Leadership and Management Studies from NYU-SPS. She has also earned certificates in Global Inclusive Leadership and Management Institute (GILMI) and Inclusive Teaching, both through NYU’s Office of Global Inclusion.