Nickelodeon’s Jean Margaret Smith, will be one of the first ever PLAYtalk presenters at The Play Conference 2016: Rebooting Play.
Smith is Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Administration for Nickelodeon. For more than a decade under her direction, Nickelodeon championed Worldwide Day of Play, an unprecedented annual event in which all Nickelodeon channels suspend programming and the network and its partners host grassroots events with the message: “get up, get out and go play.” (In 2015, the US Play Coalition became a partner in the WWDoP initiative!) Smith will speak on this groundbreaking initiative in her PLAYtalk entitled, “Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play: Its Impact and Its Future.”
Jean Margaret Smith is responsible for managing the network’s strategic relationships with social advocates, elected officials, and public opinion leaders, as well as spearheading the company’s overall public affairs agenda, including signature pro-social initiatives and overall corporate responsibility. She has helped craft several long-term, strategic initiatives to address social concerns impacting children and their families including HALO Awards, Beyond the Backpack and Get Dirty. She sets the company’s corporate social responsibility agenda.
Smith spearheads outreach to key public affairs external constituencies for all Nickelodeon television brands and businesses, including Nick Jr, TeenNick, and Nicktoons. In addition, she works closely with the Nickelodeon digital brands such as Nick.com and TeenNick.com on incorporating pro-social content, managing digital and online privacy and safety issues, and raising other public awareness issues. Smith also oversees the company’s relationships with key partners including the Afterschool Alliance, Boys and Girls Clubs, and the YMCA to amplify the network’s commitment to kids and families.
“To say that Jean Margaret is committed to family, community and PLAY is an understatement!” says Stephanie Garst, executive director of the US Play Coalition. “We are thrilled that she will be with us for The Play Conference 2016!”
Learn more about the conference by clicking here.