Speakers

Georgette Palmer Smith, CMM, is the Executive Director of the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Native Learning Center (NLC). A proud member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma with Choctaw heritage, Georgette joined the NLC team in 2010 as the Director of Administrative Services Program Director and became Executive Director the following year. The NLC offers tuition-free training aligned with the objectives of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act (NAHASDA). The NLC develops curriculum and provides webinars, training, and technical assistance, both in-person and online, to Native Americans and those working with tribes. Georgette’s instructional leadership features courses about financial wellness, grant education, how to establish a nonprofit, entrepreneurship, and extensive Tribal housing-related content. Additionally, Georgette serves as President of Seminole Taft Street Properties, LLC, and 6365 Taft, LLC for the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Before her tenure at the Native Learning Center, Georgette was the Director of Member Engagement in Tampa, FL, for BICSI, the global leader in information transport systems education. There, she managed Membership, Conferences, and Communications/Marketing Departments, producing major conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Europe and various regional events annually.

Georgette’s extensive 33-year career includes serving as Director of the Forum and Conference Services at the University of Oklahoma. She has coordinated a wide array of meetings, trade shows, and special events both nationally and internationally. Her past roles include Director of Meetings for the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Fairfax, VA, and Senior Project Manager for the William H. Natcher Conference Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.

In the early 1990s, Georgette began her career as the Director of Convention Services for the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C.. During this time, she served as the White House Logistical Coordinator for the historic 1994 meeting between President Bill Clinton and 545 Tribal Leaders.

Georgette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha. She attended the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management and the School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University, earning her Certification in Meeting Management. In December 2000, she was designated a Certified Meetings Manager (CMM) by Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Michigan State University, reflecting MPI’s strategic commitment to professional excellence. In October 2004, Georgette established the University of Oklahoma Outreach/College of Continuing Education’s inaugural Meetings and Event Management Certificate program, where she also served as faculty.

Georgette is certified by First Nations Oweesta as a Financial Education Trainer in Building Native Communities and by the NeighborWorks Center for Homeownership Education and Counseling (NCHEC) as a trainer for Post-purchase Homeownership Education in Native Communities. Currently, she serves on the Board of the South Florida Arthritis Foundation’s Marketing Committee. She is a former member of the Tampa Bay Area Chapter and the Oklahoma Chapter of Meetings Professional International, where she held roles on the Membership and Nominations Committees and was elected Vice President of Education. She also served on the Meetings Professional International Research Advisory Panel from 2006-2009 and was named “Meeting Professional to Watch in 2009” by Conventions South Magazine.