Winifred Y. Carson Smith, Esq. (“Windy”)

Windy Carson-Smith, attorney, consultant and entrepreneur, has worked in various capacities throughout her career. Presently, chief operating officer and owner of Carson Company, a health care consulting policy concern, she brings over 25 years of senior association,legislative, policy and regulatory experience at the state, federal and national levels to her national consultancy. Her clients include the American Nurses Association, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, the Joint Center for Political Studies state nursing associations and individual health clients.

Over the years, Windy has lobbied, testified and drafted laws and regulations for registered nursing, advanced practice nursing, prescriptive practice and other regulatory matters. She has worked on major nursing policy national and state initiatives to include legislative and regulatory barriers to practice for clinical nurse specialists, advanced practice nursing reimbursement, nursing ANA standards and guidelines, and barriers to advanced nursing practice. One of her history making endeavors includes the initiation of the lobbying campaign which led to independent DEA registration of advanced practice nurses. Windy authored numerous articles on nursing issues for numerous academic and professional journals to include The American Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, NP World News, American Journal of Nurse Practitioners, Advanced Practice Nursing Quarterly, Advance for Nursing Practice, The American Journal for Nursing, The Online Journal for Nursing, The NBNA News, and Kango (the journal of the Japanese Nurses Association). Windy has also authored chapters on advanced nursing practice and nurse prescriptive authority in the following books: Health Law Handbook, Nurses , Nurse Practitioners: Evolution to Advanced Practice, and Nursing Clinics of America. Frequently quoted in mainstream and nursing press on nursing issues, especially nurse prescribing, Windy writes a regular column for NP World News. She sits on the editorial advisory boards of Health Law Week and The American Journal for Nurse Practitioners. Windy was the only non-nurse recognized for her advocacy on advanced practice nursing issues by Nurse Practitioner magazine (2000) on the anniversary of nurse practitioner practice. Windy served on the National Practitioner Data Bank Advisory Committee (HHS) and as a nursing liaison to the DEA. Windy is also involved in community affairs. A fundraiser for District of Columbia candidates, she recently completed her tenure as President of the LeDroit Park Civic Association. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Duke Club of Washington, JPM and Associates, the Wright Family Foundation and Random Acts Foundation.

Windy received her undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Duke University and her law degree from George Washington University. She is the wife of Frank Smith, Jr., PhD., a civic rights activist, scholar, former D.C. Councilmember and Director of the African American Civil War Freedom Foundation, the only national organization dedicated to recognition of the achievements of black soldiers who fought in the civil war.