Courtney Ulrich Smith is the Program Manager for Fieldbook at High Alpha Innovation. She began her career in visual design for startups and transitioned to a UX/UI role after a company acquisition, working at a software agency specializing in data tooling for enterprise companies. In this role, she worked on digital transformation projects with Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, and HEB. Her role gradually became more specialized in design research, and she eventually co-led the organization’s first strategy and innovation team. In 2023, she joined the startup studio that would eventually become Fieldbook.

Courtney is passionate about building business in Arkansas. She believes that Arkansas talent is often overlooked and vastly underestimated and hopes that Fieldbook's efforts will elevate venture investment across the entire state.

In addition to her professional achievements, Courtney is a two-time small business founder. She and her husband opened their first business in 2017 and their second in 2021. They are passionate about small business and have been involved in revitalization efforts in their historic downtown. Furthermore, Courtney is a non-profit founder, having started NWA Book Fest, Arkansas’s first community-organized book festival, which highlights authors from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.