Amy Erica Smith

• Comparative politics
• Brazil studies

Amy Erica Smith
Academic background
Alma mater	University of Texas at Austin Cornell University University of Pittsburgh
Institutions	Iowa State University
Main interests	Politics of Brazil religion in Brazil religion in politics

Amy Erica Smith is an American political scientist.

Education and academic career

Smith was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Dallas, Texas. ^[1] She earned a bachelor's degree in Latin American studies at the University of Texas at Austin, obtained a master's degree in city and regional planning at Cornell University, then pursued doctoral studies in political science at the University of Pittsburgh. ^{[2] [3]} Smith moved to Ames, Iowa, in 2012, ^[4] and began teaching at Iowa State University as an assistant professor of political science. In 2018, she became an associate professor. ^[5] Since 2019, ^{[6] [7]} Smith has served as a Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean's Professor. ^{[8] [9]} In 2024, Smith was promoted to a full professorship. ^[10]

Fellowships, awards, and honors

In 2014, Smith received a Fulbright Fellowship and was based in Brazil. ^[11] From 2016 to 2017, she held a fellowship at the University of Notre Dame's Kellogg Institute for International Studies. ^{[12] [13] [14]} In 2019, Smith was awarded a fellowship by the American Council of Learned Societies. ^{[15] [16]} In 2020, ^{[17] [18]} Smith became the first Iowa State University faculty member to be awarded a Carnegie Fellowship. ^[19] That same year, Smith was also a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. ^[20]

Political career

In November 2021, Smith was the leading vote-getter of three candidates elected to the Ames School Board. ^{[21] [22]} She did not run for reelection in November 2025. ^[23]

Personal life

Smith is married to the Romanian-born software engineer and artist Tibi Chelcea. ^{[24] [25]} They first met in Pennsylvania, while he was employed by Carnegie Mellon University and she studied at the University of Pittsburgh. ^[24] Chelcea began making art in the late 2000s, and is a member of the art collective Ames C.art. ^{[25] [26]} He helped organize an art exhibit during a sesquicentennial celebration marking the platting of Ames. ^{[25] [26]}

Smith speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. ^[5]

Selected publications

• Smith, Amy Erica (2019). Religion and Brazilian Democracy: Mobilizing the People of God. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9781108640619. ^[27]

References

1. "Here's what we know about who's running for the Ames school board". Ames Tribune. 15 October 2021. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
2. "Amy Erica Smith Named Andrew Carnegie Fellow". Iowa State University Department of Political Science. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
3. "Smith named Andrew Carnegie Fellow". Iowa State University College of Liberals Arts and Sciences. 12 May 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
4. Aceves, Josue (24 October 2021). "Ames School Board election profile 2021: Amy Erica Smith". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
5. Bries, Kendra (27 April 2018). "Dr. Amy Erica Smith recieves[sic] promotion and tenure". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
6. "LAS honors four with professorships". Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 7 May 2019. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
7. "Former Visiting Fellow Honored with Dean's Professorship". Kellogg Institute for International Studies. 8 May 2019. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
8. "Meet 2020 Carnegie Fellow Amy Erica Smith, Iowa State University". Political Science Now. 1 June 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
9. "Amy Erica Smith". Iowa State University Department of Political Science. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
10. "LAS faculty advance". Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
11. "Kellogg Visiting Fellow Recognized for Outstanding Research Achievement". Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
12. "Amy Erica Smith awarded Visiting Fellowship at University of Notre Dame". Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 8 March 2016. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
13. "Kellogg Welcomes Journalist to the Visiting Fellows Program". Kellogg Institute of International Studies. 24 January 2017. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
14. Rankin, Elizabeth (22 March 2016). "Kellogg Institute Announces 2016–17 Visiting Fellows". Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
15. "Amy Erica Smith selected as 2019 Luce/ACLS Fellow". Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 6 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
16. "Former Visiting Fellow Named an ACLS Fellow". Kellogg Institute of International Studies. 26 February 2019. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
17. "Smith named 2020 Andrew Carnegie Fellow". Iowa State University. May 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
18. "Former Visiting Fellows Receive Carnegie Fellowships". Kellogg Institute of International Studies. 12 May 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
19. Maifeld, Stacey (17 September 2024). "Political science as a practice of empathy". Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
20. "Update - Former Kellogg Visiting Fellow Amy Erica Smith". Kellogg Institute of International Studies. 16 November 2019. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
21. "Ames district election results called 'a real win' for inclusion work". Ames Tribune. 3 November 2021. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
22. Aceves, Josue (2 November 2021). "Becker, Smith and Winfrey win Ames School Board seats". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
23. Brocker, Celia (9 October 2025). "We asked Ames School Board candidates questions and they answered. Here's what they said". Ames Tribune. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
24. Ahmad, Sophia S. (March–April 2019). "Intersection". DSM. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
25. Capps, Anthony (7 February 2015). "Bringing art and technology together". Ames Tribune. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
26. Chambers, Karen (12 December 2014). "Art exhibit showcases current, past Ames art". Ames Tribune. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
27. Reviews of Religion and Brazilian Democracy include:
    • Levine, Daniel H. (June 2020). "Religion and Brazilian Democracy: Mobilizing the People of God. By Amy Erica Smith. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. 222p. $99.99 cloth". Perspectives on Politics. 18 (2): 654–655. doi:10.1017/S1537592720000109. S2CID   225829386.
    • Miñana, Rogelio (April 2021). "Religion and Brazilian Democracy: Mobilizing the People of God by Amy Erica Smith (review)" . The Americas. 78 (2): 367–368. doi:10.1017/tam.2021.34. S2CID   233366828.
    • Feinberg, Richard (January–February 2020). "Religion and Brazilian Democracy: Mobilizing the People of God By Amy Erica Smith Cambridge University Press, 2019, 222 pp". Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
    • Løland, Ole Jakob (2021). "Smith, Amy Erica. (2019). Religion and Brazilian Democracy. Mobilizing the People of God. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 222 pages". Iberoamericana. 50 (1): 13–14. doi: 10.16993/iberoamericana.524 .