CLEVELAND — Linda Smith, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Parker Hannifin, is being honored by Dress for Success for her role in giving back through mentoring other women navigating the workforce.
"Always looking for opportunities to help people find the right role,” she said.
Smith said she appreciates organizations that take those entering the workforce under their wings.
“Even before my career started, I was connected with an organization that helped me just learn more about college, learn more about opportunities," Smith said.
In 2009, she connected with Dress for Success to give other women the same helping hand she received early on her professional journey.
"If there's individuals who will take their time, their personal time to help me do that, how can I not help other individuals do that as well," she said.
This year, Dress for Success is honoring Smith along with five other individuals for their work promoting women.
“You hear the stories, you hear them give their testimonies about how it has literally been life-changing for them, and it reminds you of why you're doing it," she said.
The business group at Parker Hannifin also teamed up with Dress for Success.
"We're partnering with them to help host training sessions and other things to help women, again, beyond the dress," Smith said.
In addition to the outreach she is doing at work, she is taking the role of giving back a step further through “Operation Community,” a nonprofit she started with her husband in 2016. The organization helps women, children and families.
Through Dress for Success, Smith reiterates the power of connection.
"It reminds me of how I've been fortunate and blessed and then when you can see other individuals lives be changed that way it's very rewarding," she said. "I tell people that it's because of the connections, the mentoring, the networks and so forth that I've had that I'm sitting here."
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
