Fitzroy Smith is a senior risk, compliance, and insurance executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience designing and governing enterprise-wide risk management and compliance frameworks within highly regulated environments. He is a trusted advisor to Boards of Directors, executive leadership, and key stakeholders, recognized for integrating enterprise risk management (ERM), regulatory compliance, and insurance strategy to strengthen organizational resilience and risk-aware culture.
Currently serving as Assistant Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at Howard University and Howard University Hospital, Fitz leads the institution’s enterprise risk, insurance, and compliance governance programs across academic, clinical, and research operations. In this role, he advises Board committees, executive leadership, and senior stakeholders on risk exposure, regulatory compliance, insurance strategy, and business continuity, while overseeing insurance programs, claims governance, and captive participation.
Prior to Howard University, Fitz held executive leadership roles at American University and The Ohio State University and Wexner Medical Center, where he directed enterprise compliance, ERM integration, internal controls, and regulatory risk management across complex, multi-jurisdictional organizations. He also spent over 15 years at The George Washington University and its Medical Faculty Associates, where he led global insurance, claims, and risk governance programs, managed captive insurance operations, and established enterprise-wide risk management structures.
Fitz’s career foundation includes leadership roles across insurance carriers, brokers, pooled risk entities, and government organizations. He previously served as Director of Risk Management for Arlington County, Virginia, where he launched the County’s first enterprise risk management program and oversaw self-insurance, claims, and regulatory compliance across diverse operational risks.
A recognized thought leader in his field, Fitz brings deep expertise in property and casualty insurance operations, regulatory compliance, captive insurance, claims oversight, and enterprise risk strategy. He is known for building scalable governance frameworks, embedding compliance into organizational operations, and advising leadership on emerging risks and strategic decision-making.
Fitz holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Property and Casualty Insurance from St. John’s University (New York) and a Master of Science in Management with a concentration in Risk Management & Insurance from Florida State University. He also holds the Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Risk Management (ARM), and Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management (CPHRM) designations.
Since 2007, Fitz has served on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, including serving as Chairman of the Board from 2016 to 2018. In 2025, he was recognized by his peers in the University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA) as the recipient of the Distinguished Risk Manager (DRM) Award