BCCC graduate named chairman of the college's Board of Trustees | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    When high school graduates come into Russell Smith's store in downtown Washington, he always asks them where they're going to college that fall.

    As a graduate of BCCC, Smith enjoys telling these graduates how valuable the education he received at the college has been in his life. And as the new chairman of BCCC's Board of Trustees, he hopes to bring a new appreciation of that value to the community.

    "Beaufort County Community College is a treasure in Beaufort County," Smith said in a recent interview. "Our president, faculty, staff and campus are second to none."

    "It's my desire that students - young and old - be excited about attending Beaufort County Community College," he said. "Whether it's a traditional college student seeking to transfer to a four year university or an older student seeking new job skills, the college needs to be visible and available."

    Smith, the first graduate of the college to hold the post of chairman of its Board of Trustees, succeeds Mitchell St. Clair who held the post for three years and led the board's efforts to hire its new president, Dr. Barbara Tansey.
Russell Smith, owner of Russell's Gentlemen's Clothing, has served on the Beaufort County Community College Board of Trustees since 2007. He was recently named chairman of that board, the first BCCC alumnus to serve in that post. (Contributed photo/Beaufort County Community College)
    A native of Washington, Smith is a 1973 graduate of Washington High School. In 1975, he earned an associate's degree in Retailing and Marketing Technology from then-Beaufort County Technical Institute, now BCCC.

    Smith is not the only member of his family with ties to BCCC.

    His wife, Denice, earned an associate's degree in Medical Laboratory Assistant from BCTI and worked 30 years in her field before joining her husband in the store.

    Their son, Zach, took courses at BCCC as a high school student before earning a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And their daughter, Olivia, took online courses from BCCC before ultimately earning an associate's degree in medical office administration from Pitt Community College.

    Smith began his retail career as a BCTI cooperative work experience student at Hilton's, a men's clothing store in downtown Washington. In 1983, Smith started his own business, Russell's Gentlemen's Clothing.

    Smith has been active in the civic and religious life of Washington and Beaufort County for many years.

    He has been a member of the Washington/Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce for over 30 years and has served on the Chamber's Board of Directors and various Chamber Committees. He is also a long-time member of the Downtown Washington Merchant's Association and is a former member of the Eagles Wings Board of Directors and the Washington Planning Board.

    Smith is a life-long member of the First Church of Christ on Tenth Street in Washington, has served as a church Deacon for 14 years and is a trustee. In his spare time, Smith enjoys playing golf and performs throughout eastern North Carolina as a member of the Gospel quartet, His Hands.

    Smith was first appointed to the BCCC Board of Trustees by the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners in 2007.

    He will be joined in leading the board by Cornell McGill of Washington who was named vice chairman of the board. McGill is chief administrator for the 1st Division, Division of Community Corrections and has served as a college trustee since 1982. McGill and his wife, Evette, have two sons.

    Beaufort County Community College is served by a 12-member Board of Trustees with four members appointed by the governor, four members appointed by the local board of education and four members appointed by the county commissioners. The president of the BCCC Student Government Association serves as an ex-officio member of the board.

    The Board of Trustees is responsible for overseeing the operations of the college, establishing policies for the college to follow, approving the college's budget each year and serving as advocates for the college. The trustees are also responsible for selecting a new president when there is a vacancy.

    Smith said that, as board chairman, he will work to improve communication between the board and the college's faculty and staff, foster more cooperation between the college and the county's public schools and oversee efforts to evaluate course and program offerings at the college.

    Smith also hopes to oversee a planning retreat for the board's current members in the coming weeks and re-invigorate the board's orientation program.