Richard Mills Smith (born 1946) is an American editor and journalist who has served as Editor-in-Chief, CEO and Chairman of the ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' magazine.

Education

Smith graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

from

Albion College Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014. They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Interco ...

in 1968, attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

School of International and Public Affairs The School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University (SIPA) is the international affairs and public policy school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university located in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. ...

and received an M.S. from

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism s ...

in 1970. Smith has received honorary degrees from Albion College and Eastern Michigan University, the Distinguished Alumni and Founder's awards from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the Columbia University Alumni Medal. In 2016, he was named an Honorary Citizen of Seoul for his contributions to the Korean capital.

Career

Smith joined ''Newsweek'' in 1970, soon rising to Asian editor and Hong Kong bureau chief. He became editor of all international editions in 1978 and editor-in-chief in 1984. He was promoted to president in 1984 and CEO in 1991.Carmody, Deirdre (April 6, 1991)
Newsweek Executive Editor Is Dismissed in Restructuring.
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' From 1998 to 2011, he was chairman of ''Newsweek''. Smith served as chairman of the

Magazine Publishers of America A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinati ...

and as a board member for the

American Society of Magazine Editors The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is an industry trade group for magazine journalists and editors of magazines published in the United States. ASME includes the editorial leaders of most major consumer magazine in print and digital ...

. In 2002, he received the Henry Johnson Fisher Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2010, Smith became president of The Pinkerton Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting programs for disadvantaged and at-risk young people in New York City. Building on this mandate, the foundation currently carries out its mission mainly through its support of endeavors that strengthen youth programming in poor communities. In 2015, the foundation made grants to 300 organizations totaling $35 million.Piccoli, Sean (November 16, 2016) Pinkerton Foundation, Born of Detective Agency, Prefers to Work Unobserved. ''

'' Smith has also served as a board member of Temple-Inland Co. the Forestar Group, and tech startup Videolicious.com. He is a former board member of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Albion College and currently on the boards of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, the Harvard AIDS Initiative and the Stanford Center on Longevity. He joined the Seoul International Business Advisory Council in 2006, serving as vice chairman from 2015 to 2019. He is also chairman of the ExCo Leadership Group (formerly Merryck & Co. Americas), a leading CEO mentoring firm.

Personal life

Smith's wife is medical anthropologist Dr. Soon-Young Yoon.

References

External links

Richard M. Smith
via Newsweek {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Richard Mills Living people 1946 births American publishing chief executives Albion College alumni School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni