Kisha Smith

Kisha Smith is SVP, Chief People Officer at Tepper Sports & Entertainment (TSE), where she leads enterprise-wide human capital strategy as a member of the executive leadership team. Her career began at Walmart, where she progressed from Hiring Manager to Head of HR for a startup distribution center, building the HR infrastructure and leading large-scale operations from scratch. That foundation taught her how cultural transformation and leadership development actually work. Smith leads with a people-first philosophy, connecting talent strategy directly to organizational goals while building cultures rooted in accountability and alignment.

Through this article, Kisha Smith explores how faith, courage and people-centered leadership build engaged teams and prove that strategic HR creates lasting business impact.

AT A GLANCE

• Faith and Perseverance in Leadership – Guiding every decision and risk, building a career rooted in purpose, trust and adaptability.

• Strategic Talent Development – Launching TSE University, Employee Engagement Surveys and modernized performance management to grow and retain talent.

• People-Centered Principles – Leading with accountability, transparency, respect and flexibility to foster inclusive, high-performing teams.

• Workforce Agility and Human Connection – Prioritizing employee experience, collaboration and trust to drive business results in a fast-changing environment.

The Road to Leadership: From Taking Chances to Leading Change

Faith and perseverance have anchored every chapter of my career, teaching me that meaningful growth begins not with certainty but with the willingness to step forward before feeling ready.

Someone once took a chance on me straight out of college, offering an HR opportunity for which I had no formal training. That single act of trust opened doors I couldn’t have imagined. Each role and each new geography since has reinforced a simple truth that adaptability isn’t something you master once and carry with you. It’s what you rebuild in every unfamiliar place, every situation that asks for more than you think you have to give.

The turning point came when I was asked to relocate to Alachua, Florida, to establish an HR function from the ground up. I was a new wife and a young mother stepping into the unpredictable world of startups. Prayer steadied me. Faith pushed me through. That experience didn’t just advance my career; it proved that real change happens when you trust yourself, trust others and let go of needing to see the whole path before taking the first step.

“My faith shapes how i lead, reminding me that real leadership isn’t only about strategy. It’s about serving others, helping them grow and building something that lasts beyond any single win.”

As chief people officer at TSE, I bring that same conviction to the work. I approach my work with transparency, fairness and a deep sense of responsibility to both people and the organization. I own the toughest HR challenges like regulatory compliance, internal investigations and situations that carry reputational weight. I build policies that align with employment law while protecting fairness across every team. I lead enterprise efforts in talent acquisition, performance management, compensation and benefits, workforce planning and leadership development.

I also oversee HR systems and compliance reporting, making sure our shared services teams have what they need to support the business reliably. I’m focused on creating places where potential becomes performance, where faith meets purpose and where people find out what’s possible when someone believes in them the way someone once believed in me.

Turning Strategy into Growth: By Developing and Retaining Talent

When I entered sports and entertainment, I found the HR function was still evolving. I came from structured corporate environments with established systems, but here I had the opportunity to build, creating an HR model that could keep pace with the industry’s energy and unpredictability. It demanded flexibility, staying close to work and making deliberate choices at every step.

The pandemic became an early test. Leading the organization through its first remote work experience taught me that guiding people through uncertainty matters more than having perfect answers. Communication, empathy and trust can carry you through.

I worked to turn HR from administrative support into a true business partner that shapes culture and fuels growth. We launched an Employee Engagement Survey to give people a real voice. We built TSE University, an online learning platform for ongoing training and professional development. We rewrote the employee handbook, tightened performance management and talent calibration and mapped clear career paths tied to competitive pay.

We also updated policies to reflect how people actually want to work. Flexible and remote options, unlimited PTO and a total rewards package that cuts costs while adding tangible value through wellness programs, team merchandise and daily meals. The aim has stayed consistent. Create a workplace where people feel recognized, equipped and able to bring their strongest work forward.

Guided by Principles: Building Teams that Thrive

My faith shapes how I lead, reminding me that real leadership isn’t only about strategy. It’s about serving others, helping them grow and building something that lasts beyond any single win.

I take full responsibility for my decisions and expect my team to do the same. Accountability means pushing for honest conversation and direct feedback, so people see how their work connects to results. When I communicate clearly without hedging, trust builds. People feel secure enough to share ideas, take risks and try things they weren’t sure they could do.

Moving through different environments, adjusting to various leadership styles and working with diverse teams taught me to meet people where they are. Flexibility means helping individuals succeed while keeping the organization moving forward.

Listening closely matters. Valuing what each person contributes matters. Respect threads through everything I do, building cultures where individuals feel seen, heard and capable of work that matters to them.

Tying people’s strategies to the organization’s larger mission changes how teams operate. They don’t just hit their numbers. They stay invested, handle pressure and find purpose in what they’re building together. That’s what drives me, creating workplaces where performance and meaning reinforce each other instead of pulling in opposite directions.

The Way I Lead: Putting People at the Center

When people thrive, businesses thrive. Workforce agility makes that possible, but agility only exists when leaders stay close to their teams, understand what people bring and earn their trust. Technology and processes support work. People do the work. Human connection turns strategy into momentum.

The clearest lesson I’ve learned is that HR works when it starts with people. A genuine connection sparks engagement, builds trust and creates a sense of belonging for everyone, regardless of age or background. Technology and AI can manage workflows, but they can’t supply what humans offer, such as empathy, creativity, judgment and the capacity to relate in ways that truly matter.

Leadership today is measured by how well you collaborate, adapt and give people something worth working toward. When leaders show up authentically and with empathy, they shape culture and push teams toward work that endures.

Effective HR leadership means building places where people grow and the business grows alongside them. That’s where real agility lives, not in systems or frameworks but in the willingness to see people clearly and help them reach what they’re capable of reaching.