Wendy Smooth

Dr. Wendy Smooth’s research and teaching focus on women’s experiences in political institutions and the impact of public policies on women’s lives. She is a professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies, and political science. As a noted scholar of intersectionality and American politics, her research focuses on the experiences of women of color as law makers in political institutions and women of color issues in public policy. Quite broadly, her research and policy work focus on what she terms “inclusionary politics.” Two of her current projects focus on the rise in women of color as voters and candidates for public office. In one project, she is focusing on the women of color organizations and groups mobilized to increase access to democracy for communities of color. In a second project, she brings those insights to a community engaged research project focusing on Black women in the state of Ohio. Using evidence-based political trainings, her research team is seeking to understand how to best move Black women in Ohio from reliable voters to candidates for public office. 

Most recently, Smooth served as one of 25 commissioners appointed to the Columbus Commission on Black Girls founded by former City Councilwoman Pricilla Tyson, which was tasked with assessing the quality of life for black girls in Columbus. This community leadership with girls of color builds on research she conducted delving into the ways girls of color understand their own leadership goals and potential as well as their attentiveness to the effects of politics on their communities. She also serves as a  board member of Beautifully Flawed, an Ohio based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works to provide a tailored, holistic approach to help girls and LGBTQIA+ youth heal and grow from the inside out. Her writings appear in numerous journals, including Politics and Gender; Journal of Women Politics and Policy; and the National Political Science Review, and edited volumes such as Situating Intersectionality: Politics, Policy and Power; Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics; Legislative Women: Getting Elected, Getting Ahead; and Still Lifting, Still Climbing: Black Women's Contemporary Activism.

In Smooth’s courses, she address various public policies affecting women and girls including work/family and workplace diversity policies; empowerment for women living with HIV/AIDS; violence against women and girls; and welfare reform. Her policy work is informed by experiences as a senior research and policy associate with the Center for Women Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., which is the oldest feminist research and policy organization in the country.