Smith is a member of the team that received the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project's 2013 Exceptional Service Award. Smith is a board member of the Texas Young Lawyer's Association and serves as the Access to Justice liaison. Prior to attending law school, she was a Community and Economic Development Planner for six counties at the Heart of Texas Council of Governments in Waco, Texas, where she administered grants funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Baylor University and holds a J.D., summa cum laude, from the Texas Tech University School of Law.