Scott Smith

Scott Clybourn Smith, born 1950 in Evanston, IL, attended Wilmette public schools and New Trier East, graduating in 1968. At New Trier, he was an all-league defenseman on the Suburban League champion soccer team. He was active in Student Council, Tri-Ship, and Teens for Percy in the senator’s first successful campaign. He received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and master’s from Northwestern University. Smith began his career at Northern Trust before joining Tribune Company in 1977. Over his 30-year Tribune career, he served in a variety of executive roles, including chief financial officer, president, and publisher of the Chicago Tribune and president of Tribune Publishing. He played leadership roles in the company’s initial public offering, venture investment in America Online, growth of metropolitan newspapers, and creation of complementary internet businesses. As the Midwest’s leading newspaper, the Chicago Tribune received many awards for journalistic excellence and achieved record financial results during Smith’s tenure as publisher. He retired in 2008 after the sale of the company. Civically, Smith is dedicated to advancing opportunity and quality of life for all Chicagoans, with a special focus on education as a driving force in economic and social mobility. He currently serves as chair of National Louis University, a leading educator of educators and an innovator in offering affordable four-year degrees for lower-income, first-generation college students. He serves on the board of the McCormick Foundation, dedicated to fostering communities of educated, informed, and engaged citizens, and the boards of the Chicago Humanities Festival, Kellogg School of Management, Mather Lifeways, and Northwestern Memorial Foundation. He was the founding chair of the Chicago Public Education Fund and also formerly chair of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. Smith lives in Winnetka, IL, with his wife, Martha Reilly Smith (New Trier West 1968). They have two children and five grandchildren.