With more than 20 years of finance experience, Smith will expand the Milken Institute's work to ensure capital reaches those who need it.

Washington, DC – August 13, 2021 – The Milken Institute announced today that Blair Smith, an experienced leader in financial services and capital markets, will join the Center for Financial Markets as a senior director.

Smith has spent decades working to enhance economic inclusion and positive social impact through strategic financing. He has held various roles in banking for more than 15 years, particularly in the area of Wealth Management. Smith was the founder and CEO of Promethean AB Strategies LLC, a strategic consultancy created to help Asset Management firms of all sizes and stages to succeed. He also served as the chief investment officer for the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, a CDFI.

"Blair is a proven expert in the world of financial services and capital markets," said Michael Piwowar, executive director of the Milken Institute Center for Financial Markets. "Our entire team at the Center for Financial Markets is excited to have him lead our strategic initiatives in innovative finance and bolster our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Asset Management efforts."

Smith received his MBA in finance from Columbia University and a BS in journalism from Morgan State University. He is a Real Estate Executive Council member and a 2019 Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) Finance Catalyst recipient. Smith is an adjunct professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Business. Additionally, he serves on the Board of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, the Baltimore Afro-American Newspapers, and the Afro Charities.

As senior director of the Center for Financial Markets, Smith will lead the Milken Institute’s work across areas of Impact Investment, Access to Capital, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Asset Management.  

About the Milken Institute Center for Financial Markets

The Milken Institute Center for Financial Markets conducts research and constructs programs designed to facilitate the smooth and efficient operation of financial markets—to help ensure that they are fair and available to those who need them when they need them.

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. We catalyze solutions to persistent global challenges by connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them. For more information, visit https://milkeninstitute.org/.

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