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Julie M. Smith

Julie M. Smith

2012 Inductee

Julie M. Smith earned her Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis at WVU. While still a student, Julie and a team of consultants at the University's Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development pioneered a new field in business management consulting that leads to superior strategy execution and dramatic performance improvements—all while engaging the hearts and minds of employees.

That success led to her co-founding of The Continuous Learning Group (CLG), which is today the world's première consultancy for behavior-based strategy execution, with headquarters in Pittsburgh and a support facility in Morgantown. The firm's 100-plus consultants help clients around the world successfully address some of today's toughest business challenges.

The proven tools developed by Julie, via her unique research at WVU, are widely used in global businesses and industries today. Always on the cutting edge, CLG and its clients recently began innovating in healthcare to improve outcomes through highly targeted individual behavior change and large-scale cultural change.

A visionary entrepreneur, Julie also founded ChangePartner, LLC, which gives people practical tools to handle life's changes and become resilient. In 2011, Julie and her husband Mickey Heston, and their children founded Heston Farm, which includes Heston Farm Winery, Pinchgut Hollow Distillery, and Foxfire Restaurant. Identified as one of the fastest start-ups in West Virginia, Heston Farm already has won national awards for marketing, packaging, and product quality.

Dr. Smith resides in Morgantown, West Virginia where continues her contributions to her alma mater and to the science of Behavior Analysis. Currently she serves on the Boards of Directors of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, West Virginia University Healthcare, and the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties.