Mendy (Melinda) D. Smith is Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biology at Colorado State University. She is an internationally recognized ecologist whose research focuses on grassland ecosystems, biodiversity, climate change, drought, and ecosystem resilience.

Dr. Smith joined CSU in 2012 after previously serving on the faculty at Yale University and has built a distinguished research portfolio with more than 40,000 citations, over $16 million in research funding, and leadership of major global ecological research networks, including NutNet and DroughtNet.

In her administrative role, Dr. Smith provides leadership for faculty affairs across the university, drawing on her extensive experience in shared governance and academic leadership. Prior to becoming Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs in 2026, she served as Chair of the CSU Faculty Council, where she was known for her collaborative approach and commitment to bringing diverse voices into university decision-making.

Dr. Smith is a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the American Geophysical Union. Her scholarship examines how environmental change, particularly extreme drought and climate variability, influences plant communities and ecosystem functioning across grasslands worldwide. She has received numerous honors, including CSU’s Scholarship Impact Award for Career Achievement.

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