W. Stanton "Stan" Smith is national director, Next Generation Initiatives (NGI), at Deloitte LLP. Stan joined Deloitte as a principal in 1998. Since then he has served in a number of senior human resources (HR) roles. In 2001, Stan was asked by Deloitte’s chief executive officer to study generational differences then beginning to manifest themselves in the workplace. With a strong commitment from Deloitte leadership, Stan has grown NGI into a key strategic initiative with tangible positive business impact over the past seven years.

Stan has appeared on the Lehrer NewsHour on PBS as a generational issues specialist. His views are sought out by major news magazines such as BusinessWeek, Forbes and Time, as well as newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal. In June 2007, Stan was the recipient of the Work/Life Legacy Award sponsored by the Families & Work Institute. His book Decoding Generational Differences: Fact, Fiction…or Should We Just Get Back to Work? was released in March 2008.

Before joining Deloitte, Stan held a variety of senior HR positions in the professional services, executive recruiting and energy businesses. 

Stan is a native of Houston, Texas. He received a bachelor of science degree in economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a master of business administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Related Content:
Volume 1 in the Talent Market Series: What Business Leaders Need to Know to Benefit from Generational Differences
Volume 2 in the Talent Market Series: Flexibility and Choice: Connecting Across Generations in the Workplace
Volume 3 in the Talent Market Series: Catching the Coaching Wave: What Business Leaders Need to Know About Coaching in the Workplace
Volume 4 in the Talent Market Series: What Business Leaders Need to Know About Broadening and Deepening the Talent Pool