Chazara Clark-Smith is currently the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy and Governance Lead for the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Chazara has led the development of enterprise AI strategy and adoption across the CTO, CIO, COO, and CDAO within the IRS. She previously served as Senior Technical Advisor to the Deputy Director of Submission Processing - Application Development within the Information Technology Division. In 2024 Chazara was awarded the IRS Commissioner’s Award for her role in leading the Information Returns Intake System (IRIS) program that allows small business owners to create, save, share, and file form 1099s directly with the IRS free of charge. In December of 2023 Chazara also earned the Service to the Citizen Award for her delivery of the IRS Information Returns Modernization program.

Chazara also commits her time and talents voluntarily to the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP) where she successfully achieved her certification “with distinction” and recently accepted the role as a Policy Research Group Team Leader. As the wife of a former Army Officer, Chazara served her military community as a Company-level Family Readiness Group (FRG) Leader, and Army Family Action Plan (AFAP) Facilitator at both the Installation and Command levels. Chazara has always valued public service and community empowerment. She has mentored government leaders with the DFW Federal Executive Board, served as a Deputy Voter Registrar, and coached competitive travel volleyball ages 12-18.

Chazara as a Division I Women’s Volleyball student-athlete graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in International Business with minors in Marketing and Japanese. She is also a 27-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Chazara and Cameron Smith recently celebrated 25 years of marriage, and have three (3) children TylerBell who graduated from Wellesley College (2023), and Carin and Cameron Jr., both Howard University 2024 graduates.

Chazara’s favorite quote is “When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.”

- Audre Lorde