About
An advisory practice for leaders carrying complex organizations.
Smith and Sewell is the strategy and operations consulting practice of Tori Dorsey. The firm works with founders, executives, and leadership teams at the point where informal ways of working stop keeping up with the organization.
Tori Dorsey · Founder & Principal Consultant
01Professional Perspective
Tori works from inside the operating reality of an organization, not around it.
Tori Dorsey is a strategist and operator whose background spans strategy, operations, program leadership, project management, organizational infrastructure, systems implementation, and executive leadership — across corporate, nonprofit, entrepreneurial, and community-based organizations.
That range matters because operational problems rarely stay in one lane. A missed deadline is often a structural issue. An underperforming team is often a clarity issue. A failed software rollout is usually a process issue that predated the software.
Her strength is entering complicated or underperforming environments, quickly understanding how people, process, technology, and priorities connect, identifying what is holding progress back, and designing the structure the organization needs to move — then staying close enough to implementation to make sure it holds. That work has included recovering high-priority initiatives, building operational infrastructure, implementing systems and workflows, and leading cross-functional programs.
She works as a thought partner to leaders who need candor and precision: a clear read of the situation, a defensible set of priorities, and a plan that accounts for the people who have to carry it out.
02Philosophy
Advice without infrastructure is just commentary.
Diagnose before prescribing
The presenting problem is rarely the constraint. We establish what is actually happening before recommending change.
Design for the organization you have
Structure only works if it fits the team's capacity, culture, and pace. Elegant frameworks that no one maintains create new debt.
Leave capability behind
Engagements end with documentation, ownership, and rhythm the organization can run without us.
03Areas of Expertise
Where the work concentrates.
Strategic planning and prioritization
Operational assessment and process design
Organizational structure and role clarity
Program and project leadership
Systems selection and implementation
Reporting and executive visibility
Operating models and leadership cadence
Change and implementation planning