Influential Woman · Marketing, Communications, Public Relations
Elizabeth Protzman
CEO, Principal Consultant, Smith PR Company
Hartford, CT 06447
Her Story
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Protzman is an award-winning business and nonprofit leader with nearly two decades of experience spanning real estate development, public relations, marketing, and community impact. Based in Connecticut, she is the Chief Executive Officer and Principle Consultant for Smith PR Company. In addition she also currently serves as a Regional Growth Manager, where she leads strategic expansion, capital formation, and investor engagement across the Northeast. In parallel, she operates her own consulting firm, providing branding, marketing, and communications services to businesses and nonprofit organizations, helping them grow visibility, strengthen systems, and expand their impact. Throughout her career, Elizabeth has been deeply committed to service-driven work, with a strong focus on advocacy for survivors of disability, trauma, trafficking, and stalking. Her leadership extends into the nonprofit sector, where she has held executive roles and contributed to initiatives in housing, recovery services, violence prevention, and community development. A former President of the Junior League of Greater New Haven, she has led large-scale volunteer efforts and programs addressing food insecurity, women’s health, and economic empowerment, earning recognition for both innovation and community leadership. Elizabeth’s journey is rooted in resilience and purpose, using her lived experiences to amplify awareness and create meaningful change. In addition to her professional work, she is a podcast host, writer, and active voice in survivor advocacy, dedicated to providing hope, resources, and visibility to others. A proud mother and community leader, she continues to balance high-level business leadership with hands-on service, building a legacy centered on empowerment, compassion, and lasting social impact.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What do you attribute your success to?
I’ve never lost sight of where I started. Everything I’ve built came from hard work, and that perspective keeps me grounded. I’m not driven by recognition or a name, I’m driven by purpose. Staying humble and remembering your roots matters, whether that’s your community or the people who helped you get where you are. That’s always been core to who I am.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received is that one of the most important things that you can do to be successful is actually outside of the office. Your mindset, your family life, your support system is so much more important, sometimes, than your actual qualifications. The life that you build for yourself outside of the office is incredibly important. You have to be selective about who you're friends with, keep your family strong, keep your support network strong, stay healthy, focus on wellness, because those are so important and almost more important than the actual job.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say always prepare for things outside of the workplace. I lost my father in July of 2024, and I was not prepared. It was a crushing blow, and it impacted so much. It made it so difficult for me, and I think that would be my best advice, is always prepare yourself for life's curves, because if you're not ready for that, it can be crushing. Also, people will not remember your work ethic as much as they remember how you treated them. People are not going to remember the numbers that you accomplished as much as they remember how you treated them.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think that it's the market volatility. I think the uncertainty that people feel, especially, you know, in a war economy, you know, we're in a recession, a housing recession, so I think that volatility is really difficult for people. Especially when you're working for a national company, and there's different regional demographics that will influence how your productivity. That can be really, really challenging.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I know all about transparency, all about empowerment. I like being upfront and honest with individuals and with my team, and I really value lifting other people up. I think that is so crucial and important. There's no way you could succeed if you're not lifting other people up. Sometimes, especially in business it can be really cutthroat, and people focus on the wrong things but it's so crucial to lift others up. You have to put your hand out for people to pull them up.
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