Shannyn A. Smith

Over 20 years ago, Shannyn launched her career in NYC advertising agencies, successfully growing medical education business units. She led the strategic communications, in partnership with Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, for a drug approved by the FDA to treat spasticity.

At Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Shannyn was named “Marketer of the Year” and recognized by PM360 ELITE (• Exceptional • Leaders • Innovators • Transformers • Entrepreneurs) as one of the most influential people in the healthcare industry. She is an Innovator in Residence at the MIT Innovation Initiative, on the Leadership Team for MIT Solve: Indigenous Communities Fellowship, a Judge for the Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge, and a Mentor for Startups Ignite. Advancing women has been a hallmark of her career as a leader, manager, and mentor. An indigenous woman of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, she has a personal mission to advance women of color and indigenous women. Shannyn earned her Executive MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and my AB, cum laude, from Harvard University in molecular biology