“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Riley Smith has spent a lifetime honing his ability to analyze challenges from a systems perspective. A background in sustainability fueled his aptitude for identifying inputs and outputs, locating responsibility and leveraging points within a system, and being comfortable with the complexity of people-created systems. He’s a strong believer that life and business alike are more enjoyable — and can be easier — when tackled as part of a team.
Riley is an avid homebrewer, and he approaches the craft much as he does a business challenge: iterating on ingredients, process, and timing until it has been perfected. Riley’s experience includes roles standing up new departments and teams at NextGen Climate, Stanford Hotels, and Saint Mary’s College of California. In these roles, he managed change processes and campaigns to deliver tangible results on unique metrics such as voter actions, social media ROI, and carbon footprints. He holds a master’s degree in sustainability from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Utah.
- Alternative career path: Wildlife Veterinarian
- Trail miles logged last year: 500
- Quote to live by: "The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but building the new." — Socrates in Dan Millman’s “Way of the Peaceful Warrior”
