# Diane Smith

> Diane Smith is the CEO and co-founder of GR8 People, an enterprise talent acquisition software company. A former NCAA championship field hockey player, U.S. national team athlete and Division I coach, she later spent nine years in recruiting before co-founding VirtualEdge with Jayne Kettles. ADP acquired that company in 2006; Smith and Kettles reunited to found GR8 People in 2015, carrying a team-first coaching philosophy into a unified recruiting platform.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-founder at GR8 People
- **Organizations:** GR8 People, VirtualEdge Corporation, Automatic Data Processing, Princeton University, Towson University, The College of New Jersey
- **Education:** The College of New Jersey (then Trenton State College)
- **Known for:** Won NCAA Division III field hockey championships with Trenton State College in 1981 and 1983., Earned field hockey All-American honors in 1982, 1983 and 1984., Named to the NCAA Division III Field Hockey 25th Anniversary Team in 2005.

## Career timeline

- **1981-1984** — Played midfield for Trenton State College field hockey, winning NCAA Division III championships in 1981 and 1983 and earning All-American honors in 1982, 1983 and 1984.
- **1980s** — Competed in the U.S. national field hockey program and coached Division I women's basketball at Princeton and Towson.
- **Before late 1990s** — Worked in recruiting for nine years.
- **Late 1990s** — Co-founded talent acquisition software company VirtualEdge with Jayne Kettles and served as CEO.
- **2006** — ADP acquired VirtualEdge.
- **2015** — Co-founded GR8 People with Jayne Kettles to develop a unified talent acquisition platform.
- **2021** — Named to TAtech's list of 100 Most Influential Talent Acquisition Thought Leaders.

## Achievements

- Won NCAA Division III field hockey championships with Trenton State College in 1981 and 1983.
- Earned field hockey All-American honors in 1982, 1983 and 1984.
- Named to the NCAA Division III Field Hockey 25th Anniversary Team in 2005.
- Co-founded VirtualEdge, which ADP acquired in 2006.
- Co-founded GR8 People with Jayne Kettles in 2015.
- Named one of TAtech's 100 Most Influential Talent Acquisition Thought Leaders in 2021.

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — GR8 People announced twelve G2 Spring 2025 badges; Smith attributed the recognition to product innovation, service and user experience.
- **2023-07** — GR8 People reported 139% growth for the first half of 2023, with Smith emphasizing balanced execution and a long-term vision.
- **2023-04** — GR8 People reported 272% year-over-year first-quarter growth and multiple G2 honors.

## Links

- Website: https://www.gr8people.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-smith-452369

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/diane-smith
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-27