STEVE SMITH

by Cynthia Williams

When he was still a young boy growing up in Leesburg, Georgia, Steve Smith had a dream that one day he would move to the big city of Atlanta, put on a suit and tie and go to work in one of those tall buildings downtown. If he could just do that, he figured, he would have arrived. Raised in a single-parent home in rural south Georgia, Smith should have known that the odds were stacked against him. But the dream never died, even when his career path started him down a different road altogether.

Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in English Education from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in Educational Management from UGA, and later an Ed.S in Educational Management from Troy State University. He began his career as a teacher and coach, and from 1991 to 1997, he was a principal in the Fulton County School System. In that role, he sharpened his administrative skills supervising and implementing curriculum, recruiting teachers and developing corporate partnerships to support school projects and programs. He excelled as an educator but he always had an exit plan to leave education and pursue his aspirations in the private sector.

“When I left as principal of A. Philip Randolph Elementary, the kids cried, the staff cried and I cried,” he recalls, “but I was doing exactly what I had always intended to do. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my tenure in education, but the opportunity at Georgia Public Broadcasting came and I took it.”

Smith learned about that opportunity from a friend and mentor, Dr. Don Hight, who years earlier, introduced him to Werner Rogers, head of Georgia Public Broadcasting. Rogers was looking for someone with Smith’s skill set, and he hired him as director of administrative services. The position provided Smith with an ideal transition from education to the corporate arena.

“Individuals who have effectively managed a school can also do just about anything,” says Smith, with a chuckle. “There are a broad range of activities and leadership skills required to run a school, and those same leadership skills were instrumental and helpful when I made the transition to GPB. Later, when I had conversations about coming to TBS, Inc. I recall very vividly having some hard conversations convincing people that I could make the transition from public education and public television to the private sector.”

The end results of those conversations were fruitful, and today Steve Smith is Vice President of Corporate Responsibility for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS). He serves as liaison for elected officials and the community and oversees the development and implementation of all community relations and employee volunteer projects. He also oversees the review, selection and funding of community non-profit organizations through TBS, Inc.’s corporate charitable donations program.

“This is a great company and my tenure at TBS, Inc. is one that I’m most appreciative of,” says Smith. “It is an organization that is committed to its people. What this company stands for, and the manner in which we conduct business, is a great environment for my professional growth and development. We have tremendous leadership from our CEO Phil Kent, who understands that we should be mindful of our civic responsibility to being good stewards. We are committed to doing good with our profits and reinvesting in the community.”

Smith is a 2002 graduate of Leadership Atlanta and a 2003 graduate of Leadership Georgia. He serves on a long list of regional boards including the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, Alliance Theatre, Metro Atlanta Arts & Culture, and the 191 Club. He serves as Chairman of the Southwest YMCA Board of Directors and is a member of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, the Metro YMCA Diversity Committee, and the Committee for Better Atlanta.

From rural South Georgia to the big city, Steve Smith has learned a lot about success and how to get there. He speaks with much pride when he talks about his best friend and wife of 16 years, Debra and their son, Steven Jr., 10. As he puts on his suit and tie and goes to work everyday in a tall building in downtown Atlanta, the CNN Center, he gives thanks to the people who helped him along the way.

“When I put it all in context, I often hearken back to the academic part, and the experience I had in education, but I always think about the people who have been instrumental in what degree of success I’ve had,” says Smith. “My mother is the center and the real glue among all of the others along the path. She is the anchor. But we all bring a compilation of skills and talents to whatever we are doing. Success is a combination of things, but I think it starts with a can-do attitude. Everything should start with that, regardless of the task you are assigned. And you have to develop your knowledge, through listening and reading, and make sure you’re well-versed in your area of work. And I think you have to invest in people and have respect for everyone, regardless of where they sit in the organization.