How Linda Smiley Built a Stronger Community Through Leadership & Communication
How Linda Smiley Built a Stronger Community Through Leadership & Communication  
Podcast: Expressions of Leadership
Published On: Tue Aug 25 2026
Description: In this episode of Expressions of Leadership, host Michele Kawamoto Perry welcomes Linda Smiley, a researcher, educator, speech-language pathologist, and community leader whose career has centered on helping people communicate, connect, and create meaningful change. Linda shares lessons from an academic career that included more than 200 peer-reviewed research publications, work with children and adults with language impairments, and the co-founding of Wings On Words Preschool at the Child Language Center, supported by the University of Arizona Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences and the Scottish Rite Foundation. After moving to Magdalena, New Mexico, Linda began a new chapter of leadership by creating MagEboard, a volunteer-run community communication network that now reaches more than 700 people in a town of roughly 850 residents. Michele and Linda explore leadership, the power of partnership, building sustainable organizations, communication and trust, and what it means to lead without a title. Linda's story is a powerful reminder that leadership can be as simple and as impactful as seeing what your community needs and choosing to show up. Sign up for MagEboard emails by emailing Linda Smiley at mageboard@icloud.com Don't miss an episode! Be sure to click on the follow and subscribe buttons. Follow Expressions of Leadership on YouTube and Instagram @ExpressionsOfLeadership. You can also catch the show on Radio Evolve at www.radio-evolve.rocks every Saturday and Sunday at noon PT. Discover more about host Michele Kawamoto Perry and The Forward Project’s expertise in culture transformation and leadership development at www.theforwardproject.co.