She received a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, in Electrical Engineering in 1987, from Duke University.

She then served as a law clerk for Judge Martin Leach-Cross Feldman and as a law clerk for Judge Sarah S. Vance of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

From 1998 to 2005 she served as a career law clerk for Judge Emily C. Hewitt of the United States Court of Federal Claims.

[2][3] On March 19, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Campbell-Smith to serve as a judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, to the seat vacated by Judge Lawrence Baskir, who subsequently assumed senior status on April 1, 2013.

On October 21, 2013, President Barack Obama designated Campbell-Smith to serve as Chief Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims.