GIVING BACK TO THEIR ALMA MATER AND THE PLACE THEY MET!
Matt Smith, who happens to be bald, is wearing a “No Hair Day” T-shirt, and his wife, Laura Balser, is dressed equally casually, but their informal attire doesn’t make them seem any less of a power couple.
The husband and wife live in Buckhead with their two cats, Laverne and Shirley. They met in 2001 while getting their MBAs at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Matt was studying marketing, and Laura was mastering finance, so their paths didn’t cross all that often, except for the two times each semester when they participated in inter-program competitions. “If a team won, Matt was on it,” Laura says.
It wasn’t until after graduation that their relationship started. In 2003, Matt, a now retired two star Army major general, had been deployed to Afghanistan, so they didn’t have a lot of communication for the first six months. “We wrote letters and tried to talk once a week on a satellite phone,” Matt says. “She stuck with me through that.”
Matt served in the military for more than three decades, holding senior leadership roles requiring oversight of thousands of personnel and coordination across multiple federal agencies. He says the secret to being a good leader is being a good follower and also hearing and connecting with people in a humble way. He’s also quick to point out Laura’s role in his success. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the level of sacrifice required of families of military members,” he says. “People often make a point to say ‘Thank you for your service’ to me, but they never say it to Laura.”
Matt, retired from the military in February 2025. “I miss the camaraderie of it. I’ve yet to discover a career that has that same level of common purpose,” he says. “Thankfully, I still get to work with veterans.” That work is his role as the executive director of Veteran Initiatives at Emory, which includes overseeing the Master in Business for Veterans degree program. One of only two such programs in the country (the other is at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles), the MBV program was created specifically for seasoned vets transitioning out of the military into the business world. Launched in 2024, Emory’s program has expanded from 30 students its first year to an anticipated 55 or more this year.
Matt also serves on the board of the Overwatch Project, a veteran suicide prevention program. “We help train current service members to prevent suicide by gun,” he says. “The gist is if a buddy is in a bad way, ask them what they’re doing with their weapons. It can save a life.”
Laura has her hands full as well as a senior client partner at global organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry. The role requires working with clients worldwide on executive compensation and benefits. “My main goal is to ensure they have the right info around pay, retention programs and the like,” she says.
Like Matt, Laura still has ties with Emory. She has served as the chair of Goizueta’s advisory board since 2021, leading a group of 25 grads and other leaders from across the country in advising the dean on issues like strategic direction and continued alumni engagement. “We brainstorm about how to help the dean solve the issue du jour and how to capitalize on the things that are successful,” she says.
Laura has also chaired Goizueta’s Capital Campaign Leadership Council and served on the boards of both the Executive Women of Goizueta and the Alumni Advisory Board. Juggling her job and work with Emory can be a lot, but she doesn’t have plans to slow down anytime soon. “I see myself working full-time another five to seven years,” she says.
As dedicated as Matt and Laura have been to their careers, they’ve worked equally hard on their relationship. “We’ve weathered storms both professionally and in our marriage,” Laura says. “But as they say, the only way out is through.”
PHOTO: Erik Meadows
