Ms. Andrea McDaniel Smith

Andrea McDaniel Smith directs CarterBaldwin’s office in Washington, DC and serves social sector clients including nonprofit organizations, universities, foundations, and social enterprises.

Prior to entering executive search, Andrea gained extensive experience in public policy, public-private partnerships, and non-profit organizations, most recently at the Aspen Institute, where she managed relationships with U.S. corporations and foundations and developed new initiatives promoting entrepreneurship and education in the Middle East and North Africa.

Previously, at the U.S. Department of State as Director of Private Sector Outreach in Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Andrea led new initiatives with senior U.S. business and government leaders to promote U.S. public diplomacy around the world.  Andrea also played a key leadership role in the recruitment and assessment of hundreds of senior individuals when she served as Deputy White House Liaison at the State Department.  Earlier, she worked in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, where she advised President George W. Bush on his appointments to government agencies including Homeland Security, National Endowment for the Arts, and National Endowment for the Humanities.

Andrea serves on the advisory boards of the Trinity Forum and the Values and Capitalism Project at the American Enterprise Institute and is co-producer of a documentary film about women overcoming extreme poverty through entrepreneurship titled Mama Rwanda.  She also lived abroad in Kigali, Rwanda and co-founded a non-profit organization focused on reconciliation and community-based development.  Andrea is a graduate of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.  She and her husband, Adrian, split time between Washington, D.C. and Gering, Nebraska, and enjoy restoring their century-old home.