In 2003, Kim Valentini stepped away from a career as a high-powered corporate sales and marketing executive to evaluate what was missing in her life. Fueled by the desire to find meaning and to be a voice for people who didn’t have one, she launched Smile Network International, which quickly became a global force in the nonprofit world. Two decades later and hundreds of passport stamps later, Kim’s “project,” otherwise known as Smile Network International, has resulted in nearly 100 surgical missions in 13 countries on five continents and more than 4,500 children have received the gift of a life-altering surgery.

Kim has received many honors for her work with Smile Network including the KARE-11 Eleven Who KARE award, Minneapolis Business Journal’s Women in Business and Inkandescent Women Magazine named Kim one of the 100 Amazing Women who are changing the world. In addition to her charitable work, Kim travels the country speaking to corporate and civic organizations, as well as educational institutions and conferences. She tells stories of her life experiences and inspires audiences to dream big, take risks and listen to that little voice inside of yourself to identify your purpose.