Heather Smith is President of Rock the Vote, a national organization dedicated to the political engagement of young people.

Under Ms. Smith's leadership during the past two election cycles, Rock the Vote built new tools and refined best practices for the continued engagement of young voters, setting the highest voter registration records in both midterm and presidential elections in the organization's 20-year history. In 2010, Ms. Smith led Rock the Vote in its largest midterm election effort, that generated more than 300,000 voter registration applications, engaged thousands of volunteers and increased youth turnout in targeted precincts. This work built on the efforts of 2008, when Rock the Vote registered a record-shattering 2.2 million people.

Prior to Rock the Vote, Ms. Smith founded and directed Young Voter Strategies, a nonpartisan project in partnership with The Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts. She also served as national field director for the Student PIRGs New Voters Project - the largest nonpartisan grassroots effort ever undertaken to register and mobilize young voters - as well as an organizing director for Green Corps' Field School for Environmental Organizing in Boston.

Ms. Smith received a B.A. with honors in economics and public policy from Duke University. In 2006, Ms. Smith was named one of Campaign & Elections magazine's Rising Stars for her work with young voters. She was also named one of Esquire magazine's Best and Brightest of 2007.