Dominator of the Week: Dr. Steven A. Smith
From the back roads of Tutwiler, Mississippi to the rolling hills of Charleston, West Virginia, Steve has been a trail blazer of his time. It all started with an athletic scholarship to Jackson State University.
Steve realized at an early age that furthering his education would serve as the gateway to a better life. He knew that his athletic abilities would be the ticket to bigger and better things. However, he did not solely rely on football, he was serious about his studies as well. He successfully balanced being a college football star while holding down a respectable GPA and pledging Omega Psi Phi in Spring of 1985.
Even though Steve was one of the top sought after football players on Jackson State's campus, that did not make him starry eyed at all. His idea of winning was beyond going to the NFL. Steve knew higher education would afford him a life that injuries and picks may steal from him. Immediately after college, he worked in his field of study (Mass Communications) for a minimal pay until he landed a job at Tougaloo College, where he decided to pursue his Ph.D.
Along the way, he managed his growing family, started his custom clothing business (iCandy Custom Clothiers) and held various positions at Tougaloo College and Jackson State University.
He admits that he didn't always make the best decisions in the early stages of his life but he subscribes to the old saying, "Bought sense is the best sense." One the most rewarding experiences of his professional career has been being able to give back to his alma mater in various capacities.
Steve is a husband, father of 7, grandfather of 11, business owner and soon to be Vice President of Enrollment Management/Campus CEO of JCC at the University of West Virginia at Parkersburg. Through all of the challenges in life, the wins, the losses...Steve has never lost sight of his goal to become University President. I believe he will do it because he is focused, determined and wasn't afraid to get out of the boat.
Great success awaits us all outside of our comfort zone. Humble beginnings...yet, that is not quite how his story ends.
Dr. Steven A. Smith, our featured Dominator of the Week!
Class of 1987; Omega Psi Phi Spring 1985; JSU Associate Dean Enrollment Management 2019
Part of The Smith Clan