Education

• M.S. – New York University
  
• B.A. – Penn State University
  
  

Biography

Tara L. Smith, M.S., APR, is Associate Instructor, Department of Communication in the College of Arts & Sciences at University of Delaware. She teaches and advises public relations undergraduates and strategic communication graduate students. Tara is also founder of Tara Lynn Communications, an independent public relations consultancy. Before joining University of Delaware, Tara lived in New York City and worked in public relations and corporate communication roles at the headquarters of NBCUniversal News Group, Time Warner Inc., and Ketchum, a global public relations firm. Earlier in her career, she lived and worked in Atlanta as a public relations account executive for The Haystack Group, and in the public relations department for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Outside of work, Tara serves in numerous leadership roles for professional organizations. In 2019, Tara was appointed by Governor John Carney to the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame Committee, the group responsible for selecting inductees and organizing the annual induction ceremony and awards program. As a proud alumna of The Pennsylvania State University, Tara also serves as President of the Advertising/Public Relations Alumni Network Board of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.

Since 2006, Tara has been active in the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Universal Accreditation Board. Her previous leadership roles include Co-Chair of PRSA’s Accreditation Marketing Committee (2024-2025) and President of the PRSA Delaware chapter (2022-2023). Additionally, she is an active member of PRSA’s Educators Academy and serves as the PRSA Delaware Board’s PRSSA Liaison. Previously, Tara held national roles on the Educational Affairs Committee, occupied various leadership positions with PRSA Georgia, served on the Board of Directors for PRSA New York, and participated as a judge for the chapter’s prestigious Big Apple Awards.

Throughout her career, Tara has received recognition through notable industry awards, including the CLIOs, SABREs, and the coveted PRSA Silver Anvil Award. At the University of Delaware, she has been honored multiple times by the Biden Institute – recognized at its Black History Month Dinners (2023-2026) and Women’s History Month Dinner (2022). She also earned the Top GIFT (Great Ideas for Teaching) Award for her teaching abstract and poster session, “Pitch Me with Your Best Shot,” at the PRSA Educators Academy in 2023. Tara was previously selected as PR Week Magazine’s 2006 Student of the Year during her senior year of college. She earned her M.S. in public relations and corporate communication from New York University with distinction and a B.A. in public relations from The Pennsylvania State University. She achieved Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2017 and lives in Middletown, Delaware, with her husband and two young children.