Joan Smith

Motivated by the idea that social connections along with innovative and creative ideas are a cornerstone to success, Joan Peven Smith has brought this philosophy to the practice of real estate. Growing up, her family owned and operated real estate companies in Michigan that specialized in the building of residential communities and commercial buildings and management. After earning her real estate license at the age of 21, she assisted in the management and sales of the family's business and served on its Board of Directors. Upon moving to Miami more than 30 years ago, Joan Smith adapted to the South Florida luxury residential market. In her first week as an Associate in Florida, she was encouraged by the sale of a $1 million condominium because of her social connections. Today, the luxury condominiums in the Brickell and Coconut Grove areas captivate her interest.
In addition to her Real Estate career, Joan spent close to 20 years devoted to teaching and giving back to the community. She has taught classes to elementary, middle school and graduate classes as a Reading Specialist as well as English and French. For many years she has been an ongoing student in the fields of preventive medicine, nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, music and the arts. She holds a Master's Degree in the Arts and stays active attending lectures at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in the field of Integrative and Complementary Academics.

Joan Smith has devoted herself to numerous efforts on behalf of local children and universities. She was awarded the Child Advocate of the Year in 1990, an honor also bestowed upon Gloria Estefan. More recently, before an audience of 5,000 family and friends of the Graduating Class, she received the Cal Kovens Distinguished Community Service Medallion from Florida International University for her dedication to the College of Education and the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. She continues to serve as a Board of Director Emeritus and has established a Lecture Series in Preventive Medicine. She was also a Founding Member of the Funding Arts Network (FAN) which has contributed almost $4 million to the Arts in Miami through the volunteer efforts of its members. She is a Board Member and Founding Member of the Food Studies Institute whose teachers demonstrate the preparation of food in some 600 classrooms reaching 18,000 students nationally and internationally. Every child in the classroom is involved in hands-on food preparation. Many of the schools also grow organic gardens.

However, Joan Smith's greatest joy is time spent with her husband Harry B. Smith, a recently retired prominent Real Estate Attorney, and their combined family of five grown children and their spouses and their eight grandchildren.