She is the inaugural Vice-Provost of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, an Associate Vice President Research and a full professor of political science at the University of Calgary.
She received the Rosalind Smith Professional Award from the National Black Coalition of Canada Society in Edmonton in 2020, named one of 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women in 2020, and given the Susan S. Northcutt Award from the Women's Caucus of the International Studies Association in 2020.
Smith was also named a 2018 Fellow of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation; the Foundation gives $225,000 distributed over 3 years[14] to "five fellows each year in recognition of outstanding achievement, innovative approaches to issues of public policy, and commitment to public engagement".
[14] From 2018-2020 Smith also held the Provost Fellowship (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy) at the University of Alberta.
In 2016 Smith received the HSBC Community Contributor of the Year Award "given to a person who goes above and beyond to affect change in Canadian society as it relates to diversity and inclusion, human rights and equity".