The Wilderness Society appoints Tami B. Smith as VP of people and culture

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 13, 2026) — The Wilderness Society announced the appointment of Tami B. Smith as vice president of people & culture. In this newly configured senior role, Smith will provide strategic direction across all human resources functions, serving as a trusted partner to executive leadership in building an organization where staff can thrive and fully contribute to the TWS mission.  

“The Wilderness Society has protected more than 111 million acres of wild public lands over 90 years—and every acre of that is because of our people. Tami Smith is the leader who will make sure we keep attracting, developing, and retaining the talent that makes that kind of impact possible," said TWS President Tracy Stone-Manning, “I'm thrilled to welcome her." 

Smith joins The Wilderness Society with more than 25 years of human capital leadership across large, complex organizations. Most recently, she served as deputy chief people officer and chief negotiator at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the regulator of the $8 trillion secondary mortgage market, where she led a comprehensive transformation of the HR function. During her tenure, she negotiated the agency's first collective bargaining agreement, reduced time-to-hire by 40%, improved data integrity by 75% through a full HRIS overhaul and sustained 92% employee retention through significant organizational change.  

Prior to FHFA, Smith served as deputy chief human capital officer at the National Credit Union Administration, where she elevated employee engagement by 7% and advanced the agency into the top five of Best Places to Work rankings. She has also held HR leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and in multiple other federal agencies spanning workforces from 700 to 30,000 employees. Throughout her career, she has been recognized as a transformational leader who combines data-driven decision-making with a deeply people-centered approach. 

Smith holds an Executive Master's in Leadership from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hood College. She is certified in Brain-Based Coaching by the NeuroLeadership Institute. 

About The Wilderness Society 

The Wilderness Society is a leading conservation organization dedicated to protecting America's wild places for future generations. Founded in 1935, our mission is to unite people to protect America's natural landscapes, ensuring they remain vital, resilient, and accessible. Through science, advocacy, and community engagement, The Wilderness Society champions the preservation of wilderness areas, national parks, forests, and other public lands. For more information, visit www.wilderness.org.

Contact: newsmedia@tws.org /  mgreenberg@tws.org