Dennis O. Smith

Credentials: MS

Position title: principal design strategist

Dennis O. Smith holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communications, from The University of Akron, and a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration, from Kent State University.  He has been an instructor in the engineering management master’s program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2020 and an instructor for the Whiting School at Johns Hopkins University since 2022.
 
Currently, Dennis is a Senior Communications Manager for Technical Storytelling, at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Prior to this he worked at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in a variety of roles in the Information Technology Department, Force Projection Sector, and the Communications Department. Across those organizations he has spent considerable time on Innovation Management leading the implementation of a variety of initiatives and being a leader in the growth and development of Design Thinking (practitioner as well as instructor). Additionally, he has led various Human-Centered Design projects and design workshops for the US Navy, Special Operations, and the USMC, to name a few.
 
Dennis has worked in both the public and private sector, working as a Principle Design Strategist, Project Manager, Business Analyst, and Classroom Instructor for Oracle, Xerox, Chubb Insurance, and Ernst & Young. Across these experiences he has had the opportunity to develop expertise in various aspects of Innovation, Human-Centered Design, and Communications.