Christine Smith, Ph.D. is the founder of The Culture Backbeat, a consulting firm that helps emerging and growing businesses embed equity into their people systems and organizational rhythms. Drawing on more than a decade of leading culture, equity, and inclusion strategy within global Fortune 500 firms, Christine bridges rigorous research and real-world leadership to create workplaces where people and performance thrive together.

Her approach centers on translating vision into practice—equipping organizations to weave equity into the daily pulse of how they hire, lead, and grow. Through The Culture Backbeat, she partners with founders and executives to cultivate cultures that are not only inclusive, but also strategic drivers of innovation, engagement, and sustainable success.

With a foundation in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, her work integrates evidence-based insights with hands-on experience transforming complex organizations. Christine has shaped inclusive talent systems, reimagined leadership development practices, and built equitable frameworks that help businesses grow with integrity and impact.

Christine earned her Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from The Graduate Center, CUNY, and holds bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Marketing from Villanova University. She remains an active contributor to the research community, exploring the intersections of leadership, belonging, and organizational effectiveness.