Spelman College announces the appointment of Dr. Jane E. Smith, former CEO of Business & Professional Women USA, as executive director of the Spelman College Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement, effective August 9, 2004. Dr. Smith, a Spelman alumna, C'68, is the former chief executive officer of Business and Professional Women/USA.
"Spelman has always stood for leadership, and the leadership center is a programmatic extension of that long-standing tradition," says Dr. Smith. "I havea vision to create a premier leadership centerthatprovides cutting-edgeleadership models. We want the Center to be a place where the concept of civic engagement as the foundation of democracy is explored from theperspective of African American women and other women of color, a convener of women fromaround the world to discuss leadership and civic engagement as a foundation for world peace."
"Jane Smith is the perfect person to lead the Center as it becomes a national resource for the cultivation of leadership development of women of color," says Spelman College President Beverly Daniel Tatum. "Her outstanding accomplishments and expertise will be a great contribution to the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement."
The Center, known as Spelman LEADS, was launched in October 2003 under the visionaryleadership ofPresidentTatumand founding co-directors Kimberly Browne Davis, C'81 managing director at JPMorganChase and co-founder of Springboard Inc. Partners in Cross Cultural Leadership, and Pamela G. Carlton, president and co-founder of Springboard Inc. .Partners in Cross Cultural Leadership.
Dr. Smith's first priority as executive director is to engage in conversations with Spelman students, faculty, staff and alumnae that will help shape the Center's future direction. She will also utilize vast external resources and individuals to foster partnerships and to engage a global audience. Her plans include immediately developing programs for Spelman LEADS' five key areas of emphasis: Leadership Development, Economic Empowerment, Advocacy through the Arts, Dialogue across Difference, and Service Learning and Civic Engagement. Building on the enormous success of the first Spelman LEADS conference held in May 2004, Dr. Smith will also begin the tasks of planning for the second annual "Women of Color" leadership conference and Strengthening the program's "Leaders on Leadership" series, a forum where distinguished women leaders from industry, academia, government and the nonprofit sector share their experiences, challenges and insights on what it takes to lead in today's global society.
Dr. Smith began her professional career in 1975 at Spelman College as assistant professor of sociology and director of freshman studies. She went on to work as assistant to President Donald M. Stewart, where she assumed responsibility formanagingSpelman'sseven million dollar Advanced Institutional Development Grant. She also served as assistant vice president for development of Atlanta University andheldmanaging directorship positions in INROADS/Atlanta and INROADS/Detroit.
In 1991, Coretta Scott King invited Dr. Smith to serve as director of development at the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. From 1994 to 1998, she reported directly to President Jimmy Carter when she directed The Atlanta Project, a community development initiative of The Carter Center.
Dr.Smith relocated from Atlanta to the nation's capital six years ago to assume the position of president and chief executive officer of the National Council of Negro Women. She was later appointed by President Bill Clinton to the National Women's Business Council, and by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the Beijing Plus Five Conference delegation.
Dr. Smith holds aBachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Spelman College,a master's degree in sociology from Emory University, a Doctorate of Education in social policy analysisfrom Harvard University, and honorary doctorates from Spelman College and Texas College.
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