Abigail Smetana, MSN, BSN, IBCLC

About

Abby Smetana serves as the training program and accreditation manager for the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute. She has over ten years of progressive growth and experience in the development, execution and maintenance of training programs. Abby’s passion lies within laying the groundwork for successful outcomes through collaborating with individuals and organizations to identify strategic steps forward and enjoys the challenge of working through actual and perceived roadblocks.

Abby began her professional career as a registered nurse in Hartford, CT after graduating with her BSN from Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, CT in 2004. She went on to serve as a nurse in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps from 2006 to 2010. It was within her role with the Nurse Transition Program in the Air Force that she developed a love for education and training programs. After separating from the Air Force in 2010, Abby earned her Masters in Nursing and Healthcare Leadership from Duke University in 2013 and enrolled into the Mary Rose Tully Training Initiative, completing MRT-TI in 2014. She was hired into a part-time project assistant position at CGBI upon completion of MRT-TI and began working primarily on the accreditation of MRT-TI. In addition, she has worked on various other projects such as the EMPower Breastfeeding Initiative in which she served as the travel and scheduling coordinator, and has lent her expertise to the RISE Lactation Training Model with her deep understanding of the accreditation process for Pathway 2 Training Programs. In her role as the training program and accreditation manager, she plays an active role in the maintenance and development of MRT-TI and explores ways to expand the CGBI training offerings locally and globally.

Education