Associate Vice Provost for Human Resources
David Smithwick is Associate Vice Provost for Human Resources. The appointment marks a return to Duke for Smithwick, who began his Duke career in 2008 as Chief Human Resources Officer of the Duke Clinical Research Institute. In 2013, he was named Duke’s Assistant Vice President, Human Resources with primary responsibilities for Compensation/Rewards and Recognition.
Smithwick, with more than thirty years of human resources (HR) experience, was the Director for Compensation and Classification at Auburn University in Alabama prior to returning to Duke.
In his current role, Smithwick serves as the senior HR leader for the Provost Area Management Center (PAMC), overseeing HR support for more than 6,000 faculty and staff across Duke’s schools and academic units. He leads the development and implementation of a best practices approach to HR support, oversight and professional development which embraces Duke’s commitment to its employees and their careers. In addition, he works with the administrative offices, directors and deans to ensure compliance with established HR policies and procedures. Dave leads a team of HR professionals who support a number of diverse academic support units and university-wide institutes, initiatives, and centers. Dave also establishes strong partnerships with PAMC stakeholders, including Duke’s central HR office.
Prior to 2008, Smithwick held HR leadership positions at Diamond Healthcare Corporation in Richmond, VA; Magellan Health Services in Atlanta, GA; and Texaco Inc. (now Chevron Corporation) in White Plains, NY.
Smithwick holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Lynchburg, and a master’s degree in industrial psychology from Long Island University, as well as the designation of Senior Certified Professional from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).