Heather Smithey
About Heather Smithey
Heather Smithey is a Senior Product Manager at AppliedVR, where she has worked since 2021. She has extensive experience in product management and digital marketing, having held various roles at companies such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Lenovo, and Food Lion.
Work at AppliedVR
Heather Smithey has been serving as a Senior Product Manager at AppliedVR since 2021. In this role, she is responsible for managing the development of an in-headset virtual reality digital therapeutic program. She creates product roadmaps and oversees deliverables in a dynamic start-up environment, focusing on a new pain management medical device. Heather collaborates with various teams, including marketing, sales, operations, and research, to address customer, market, and business challenges through effective product solutions.
Previous Experience in Product Management
Before joining AppliedVR, Heather Smithey held several product management roles. She worked as a Sr. UX/UI Product Manager at RealtyTrac for 10 months in 2020 to 2021. Prior to that, she was a UX Mobile Product Manager at Lenovo, focusing on global eCommerce websites for 9 months in 2019 to 2020. Additionally, she served as an Agile Product Owner/Product Manager of Mobile Applications at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina from 2016 to 2019.
Digital Marketing and Strategy Experience
Heather's background includes significant experience in digital marketing. She worked at Food Lion as a Digital Marketing Web Specialist from 2013 to 2015 and as a Digital Marketing Coordinator for 9 months in 2013. She also served as a Digital Marketing Advisor & Strategist at Healthgrades for 7 months in 2015 to 2016. Her roles involved developing digital strategies and managing online content to enhance customer engagement.
Educational Background
Heather Smithey studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication with a focus on Marketing. Her studies spanned from 2002 to 2006, providing her with a strong foundation in communication and marketing principles.
Early Career and Additional Roles
Heather began her career as a Media Intern at Adstreet in 2005. She also held various positions in customer service and donor relations, including roles at Whole Foods Market as a Customer Service Supervisor from 2009 to 2012 and at Wake Forest Baptist Health as a Donor Relations Assistant in 2007. These early experiences contributed to her skills in customer engagement and relationship management.