Public Board Director, Former Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Microsoft
Seattle, WA
Mary Ellen Smith is a seasoned technology leader, Independent Board Director and former Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Business Operations. She has firsthand experience propelling companies from strategic ideation through delivery realization. With 30+ years of strategic operating experience in fast-growing technology software and hardware organizations, she’s delivered transformational and multi-billion-dollar outcomes for leading companies including Microsoft and HP. Renowned for her collaborative, no-nonsense approach, she excels in integrating complex business models and fostering growth at scale.
Adept in managing strategic change and risk across technology’s evolving landscape, Mary Ellen is a trusted advisor on market opportunities, digital transformation, AI, supply chain and compliance. She advises with a clear-eyed view of growth drivers, digital enablers, and risk management. Her insights and partnership guide C-Suite and Board Directors in advancing corporate strategy.
Raised outside of Cleveland, Ohio, Mary Ellen holds a BSBA from Bowling Green State University majoring in Operations Management and Procurement. Her MBA is from Wright State University. A lifelong learner, she’s completed three certificate programs at Stanford University including the Director’s Consortium for Board Directors and is a Qualified Risk Director recognized by the prestigious DCRO Risk Governance Institute.
Active in non-profits, Mary Ellen is a recognized thought leader and champion for disability workplace inclusion, co-developing Microsoft’s Neurodiverse Hiring Initiative. She addressed the United Nations Assembly on the initiative and serves as an advisor to the United Nations Population Fund.
Mary Ellen lives in Seattle with her husband, Gary. She enjoys the outdoors and has grown fond of hiking, including exploring the Pacific Northwest with her family.
