Dr. Ryan Alan Smith was born in Washington, DC and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the Baptist tradition. He now attends a nondenominational church where he has served in the capacity o...ver maisDr. Ryan Alan Smith was born in Washington, DC and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the Baptist tradition. He now attends a nondenominational church where he has served in the capacity of usher, deacon, small-group leader, small-group department head, and pastoral assistant. He received his PhD in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles, his MS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his BA from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a frequent guest lecturer, workshop facilitator, moderator, panelist, and consultant on a variety of issues pertaining to team building among diverse groups, organizational change, workplace diversity, leadership, and personal career development. He has served as a consultant to numerous nonprofit, for-profit, and government agencies. He and his wife, Dana, have been married since 1998 and have a son, Julius Austin Smith, to whom this book is dedicated.ver menos