The Legacy of a Pioneering Leader
Dr. Lee Smith, colleague and friend, passed away on December 25, 2025 in the Dallas, Texas area.
Lee was born near Dallas and raised her two daughters there, with her husband Vernon, a former Navy boy. Lee’s early career began as a licensed cosmetician with her own shop, where she first used her well-respected listening skills with her clientele.
In the early 1970’s Lee moved to secretarial work with the IRS, and later Sun Oil, where she eventually became Human Resources Director of Professional Development. While at Sun Oil her life-long passion for continued personal and professional learning sent her back to
school. She started with an undergraduate degree in Business, then a Masters in Education and Counseling and finally a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Psychology – of course Summa Cum Laude! For ten years after completing her formal studies Lee maintained a management consultancy in Dallas.
When introduced to the unfolding field of executive coaching in 1995, Lee transitioned
wholeheartedly working as an executive coach for the next 30 years. She obtained one of
the first international certifications as Master Certified Coach (MCC), from the
International Coach Federation (ICF). In addition to coaching, mostly at the “C-Level” in
organizations and with individuals, Lee also did considerable writing, teaching, training and
lecturing in leadership development.
In 1998 Smith co-founded, with Dr. Jeannine Sandstrom, CoachWorks® International Inc.
an executive coaching firm that took them around the world. Smith and Sandstrom
believed that professional coaches need a leadership model to coach around, so they co
developed Legacy Leadership®, a timeless and highly adaptable business and personal
leadership model. This model includes a framework of practices, behaviors, attitudes and
values that address every aspect of successful leadership. Using this model, Lee traveled
the world, training coaching skills and coaching with executive global leaders.
Lee was also co-author of the coach training body of work including The Coaching Clinic©,
The Personal Coaching Styles Inventory©, and Professional Foundations for Masterful
Coaches©. For decades now this work has reached thousands nationally and globally. Two
published books – What’s Next: Women Discovering Their Dreams in the Prime of Life with
Rena Pederson (2001) and Legacy Leadership: The Leader’s Guide to Lasting Greatness
with Dr. Jeannine Sandstrom (2008; 2017) continue to be used internationally.
