Charlene Smith

Charlene Smith is the authorized biographer for Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, who she personally knew for two decades. Her expertise in sexual violence (including initiating a CDC-protocol), trauma, HIV and AIDs, has seen her as an invited guest of the Swedish government twice, and as a key note speaker at conferences across the world.

She has won more than a dozen international awards for her writing and human rights work.

Charlene speaks with a British accent in an empathetic, gently humorous, yet powerful manner.

She is concerned about divisions among people and one of her favorite quotes is Mandela's exhortation to, "make friends of your enemies." She has lived, and lives, the truth that in finding the humanity in every person, we access joy and the path to personal and business success.

Charlene worked as a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and CBS 60 Minutes among others and has lived and worked on four continents.

She lives near Boston, Massachusetts.