Meet The Team
Toyinda L. Smith
Founder and Lead Consultant
Toyinda L. Smith is an entrepreneur, champion influence™ infuser, and inspirational speaker. She is the founder of Leadership Strategy & Consulting, a team and leader advancement and development firm where she equips people to be champions in every area of life through group influence, innovation, and community impact.
For over 14 years, Toyinda held leadership roles at Purdue University, honing her ability to guide individuals and groups to winning in every area of the mindset, refiring to recover passion, and resetting self to place individuals back on a championship track.
She is a champion in her own right. She has earned numerous awards for her outstanding performance as a Division I track and field athlete at Purdue University. She has since earned the privilege of being inducted into two athletic halls of fame, and has been honored by a host of other organizations for leadership and innovation, and has made a number of Top 40 under 40 lists.
Toyinda earned an associate’s degree in organizational leadership and supervision and double bachelor degrees in psychology and sociology at Purdue University. She has a master’s degree in student affairs and higher education from Indiana State University.
She is certified to facilitate the Real Colors® Personality Instrument, trained to integrate Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment, is a certified leadership Speaker, Trainer and Coach with the John Maxwell Team and also works as an Adjunct Faculty member at Coker College in Communication & Business Administration.
Jessica Cohen
Strategic Connections Consultant
Jessica is a Charleston, SC native she is resourcefully innovative with a genuine passion for connecting. Jessica can assist you with marketing, increasing community presence and with implementing innovative and resourceful solutions to your business challenges.
Her technological innovative contributions can be seen downtown Hartsville through the digital signage trend and through the mobile app she constructed for the City of Hartsville to serve residents and visitors alike. Her success in both areas has inspired her to develop JUGLR, a mobile app which is designed to foster connections and enhance the communication between coaches and athletes.
Through her employment with the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce and City of Hartsville’s Tourism and Parks and Recreation Department, she has acquired a functioning knowledge of community structure and has done the ground work to build key connections.
Deemed the community engagement expert, some of her major impacts in the Hartsville Community include facilitating national tourism events such as the Bojangles Southern 500, the National Bikers Roundup and Master National Dog Retriever Competition.
She has been featured in VIP (Vision Innovation & Progress) Magazine, Diversity Works, Sports Destination Management, and the She Magazine.
As a coach and former collegiate student-athlete, she has a true understanding of passion, perseverance, and adaptability. Jessica has an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies and Masters of Science in Collegiate Athletic Administration from Coker College. She serves on the Butler Heritage Foundation Board, the External Review Committee for the Governor’s School of Math and Science and the Clemson Extension Advisory Council.
