Responsibilities: Smith is in charge of the entire Tech athletics ticket operation, including the sale and distribution of tickets to Tech football and basketball games and other athletics events.

Joined VT Athletics Staff: 1991

At Virginia Tech: Smith began his second stint at Virginia Tech in 1991 after being hired as the assistant ticket manager. Following seven years in that position, he received a promotion, being named assistant AD for ticketing services and tasked with overseeing the selling and distribution of all Tech athletics sporting events. His first stint at Tech began in 1981 when he worked in the ticket office and served as an assistant wrestling coach while obtaining his doctorate degree. He also worked as an intern in the business office during that time.

Prior to Virginia Tech: Smith came to Tech in 1991 after serving two years as the assistant AD for marketing and promotions at Davidson College.  Prior to working at Davidson, he worked in the role as the general manager and vice president of the Tampa Bay Thrillers and Rapid City Thrillers of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), handling day-to-day operations and helping to oversee the move of the franchise from Florida to South Dakota.

Education: East Carolina, 1970 (B.S. in biology); North Carolina, 1974 (master’s in physical education); Virginia Tech, 1985 (doctorate in education).

Of Note: Smith served in the Marines full time for three years following his graduation from East Carolina and spent time in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and he stayed in the Marine reserves following his discharge until 1996.

After getting his master’s from North Carolina, Smith was a teacher at Frederick Military Academy in Portsmouth, Va., where he also served as a wrestling coach, assistant football coach, and track and field and cross country coach. He left in 1981 to pursue his doctorate degree at Tech.

Smith has served as the chairman of PACnet during his time at Tech. PACnet is an organization of those who use Paciolan, the ticketing software used by many throughout the country, including Tech.

Personal: A native of Raleigh, N.C., Smith and his wife, Marsha, live in Christiansburg, Virginia. They have a son and a daughter and two grandchildren.

Q&A with Smith

Q: What most excites you about your work in the ticket office & the contribution you make?
SS: Selling tickets!

Q: In your work or creative process, what concepts are most sacred to you and why?
SS: Keeping the ticket selection process fair to all season ticket holders to create the most positive experience possible.

Q: What are one to three words that best encapsulate who you are?
SS: Fair, tough, honest, integrity and persistent.

Q: Name the five songs that would best describe the soundtrack of your life?
SS: I Love Beach Music, Marine Corps Hymn, Stay, Be As You Are.

Q: Who is the one person, dead or alive, you would most like to have a conversation with and why?
SS: Lt. Gen. John A. Lejeune. I’d like to ask him what the old corps was like.

Q: What are you passionate about personally? What do you really enjoy? What can’t you stop talking about?
SS: Alpaca farming. It’s hard work, but I find it relaxing and enjoyable.

Q: Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or a Sunday afternoon?
SS: Relaxing on the front porch of my farmhouse with my wife.

Q: What would be impossible for you to give up?
SS: Coffee, absolutely!

Q: What is the No. 1 item at the top of your bucket list currently?
SS: I never think about this. I am focused on now.

Q: Your favorite Hokie athletics memory to date?
SS: Short memory – beating Ohio State on their field in front of more than 100,000 people in the stadium and millions on TV.

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