<p>The real-life inspiration behind ABC's hit political thriller series "Scandal" starring Kerry Washington, Judy Smith is the US's premier crisis management expert. As the founder and president of Smith & Company -- a leading strategic and crisis communications firm with offices in Los Angeles and Washington, DC -- she uniquely combines her communication skills, media savvy, and legal and political acumen to serve clients around the world.</p>
<p>Smith honed her skills through her experiences with some of the most historic and sensational events of our time, including the Iran Contra investigation, the prosecution of former DC Mayor Marion Barry, the 1991 Gulf War, the Los Angeles riots, the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas, President Clinton's scandal involving Monica Lewinsky, the congressional inquiry of Enron, and the United Nations' and World Health Organization's responses to the SARS epidemic.</p>
<p>She has become the go-to person for corporations, politicians, and celebrities seeking counsel in times of crisis, having consulted individuals such as Monica Lewinsky, Senator Craig from Idaho, actor Wesley Snipes, and NFL quarterback Michael Vick, as well as Fortune 500 companies such as BellSouth, Union Pacific, Wal-Mart, Starwood Hotels, and United Healthcare.</p>
<p>Smith is the author of "Good Self, Bad Self: Transforming Your Worst Qualities into Your Biggest Assets" and her writing has been featured in <i>The Washington Post</i>, <i>National Journal</i>, <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>, <i>Forbes</i>, <i>Fortune</i>, and <i>Fast Company</i>. She regularly writes for <i>The Huffington Post</i> and <i>The Daily Beast </i>and frequently appears on major television networks such as CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, NBC, ABC, and CBS to offer commentary on topical issues of the day.</p>
Crisis management expert, real life inspiration for the hit ABC drama Scandal
<ul><li><b>Crisis 101: Surviving & Thriving in an Era of Perpetual Crisis</b></li><li>The instant and global nature of the Information Age has made the ability to navigate crises of all stripes a critical component of an organization's success. Due to perpetual 24/7 news cycles and ever-expanding digital media platforms, it is harder than ever to successfully communicate a message or shape public opinion. In this presentation, speaker Judy Smith - one of the nation's top crisis managers - outlines the best practices in crisis management she has gleaned over 25 years of experience on the frontlines of many of the most high-profile crises and scandals around the world.</li><li><b>Good Self, Bad Self: Transforming Your Worst Qualities into Your Biggest Assets</b></li><li>Whether the problem is debt, infidelity, indiscretion, or merely an embarrassing email sent to the wrong reader, we have all found ourselves in bad situations of our own making. And whether that puts you in a delicate position or a full-blown crisis, it can sometimes feel as if there is no way out. Enter Judy Smith, America's #1 crisis management expert. In "Good Self, Bad Self," based on her book by the same name, Smith shares her methods, gleaned from years of professional experience, for smoothing over a bad situation while providing the tools to prevent similar incidents from ever happening again.</li><li>Exploring the underlying factors of some very public and often unpleasant scandals, Smith shows how different situations could have been prevented. As she shares her method of repairing the damage that these situations can cause, Smith also explains what we can all be doing in our own lives to prevent a crisis from getting started.</li></ul>