April 28, 2014- Albany, GA- Albany Technical College will hold their annual spring Honors Day Program on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, beginning at 11am in the Kirkland Conference Center.
Over 80 eligible graduates for the upcoming Spring Commencement will be honored during the program for such awards as American Criminal Justice Club, ATC Ambassadors, Collegiate DECA, Engineering ("E") Club, Honors with Distinction, Mr. and Ms. ATC, National Technical Honors Society (NTHS), Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), Presidential Scholar, SkillsUSA, Student Fellowship for Christians (SFC), Student Government Association (SGA), and General Education Development (GED). The Albany Tech Collegiate DECA Advisor of the Year and the Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year will also be recognized.
Keynote speaker for the program will be Steven W. Smith, Sr., Associate Superintendent for Atlanta Public Schools. As the associate superintendent for Atlanta Public Schools (APS), Smith has executive control and direct oversight responsibility for all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the district. This includes implementation of programs, services and activities throughout the system. He was previously deputy superintendent and chief of staff with executive control over all areas, with primary focus on communications, policy, charter schools and external affairs. Prior to joining APS, he founded and served as principal of Steve Smith Consulting, LLC.
Before his business consulting firm, Smith was vice president of corporate responsibility for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.). He served as the company's liaison to elected officials and community leaders. He also directed the funding of community nonprofit organizations through TBS, Inc.'s corporate philanthropy program.
Smith has 20-plus years of senior business leadership experience, ranging from education, marketing and communications to business development and fiscal management. He is adept at initiating and cultivating successful partnerships, and has exceptional communications skills. Before joining TBS, Inc., Smith was director of administrative services for Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB). He managed the daily operations for the 200-plus employees of the digital broadcasting company by directing procurement and purchasing, security, corporate fleet, space allocation and marketing. From 1991 to 1997, Smith served as a principal and assistant principal in the Fulton County School System, where he was responsible for supervising and implementing the curriculum for students, recruiting teachers, and developing partnerships with businesses to support school programs.
Smith is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and Leadership Georgia. He is a founding investor and board member of Atlantic Capital Bank. Steve serves (or has served) on the board of directors for the following organizations: Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (past chair), Georgia Chamber of Commerce (past vice president, membership), 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, University of Georgia Foundation Trustees, University of Georgia Alumni Association, and the Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA (chairman). He has served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Independent Redistricting Task Force, and was a mayoral appointment to the Atlanta Arts & Cultural Funding Task Force.
In 2010, Smith completed the University of Georgia's (UGA) Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at Terry College. The program included an international residency to Vietnam and China. In addition to his MBA, he earned a master's degree in educational leadership and a bachelor's degree in English education from UGA. He also holds an educational specialist's degree from Troy State University.
Albany Tech will hold Spring Commencement Ceremony on this Friday, May 2, at 7pm at the Albany Civic Center. More information forthcoming in a separate press release on this event later this week.
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