President Dan Smith leaving Vermont Tech

VTC President Dan Smith, with trademark bow tie, at an event last February. VTC photo.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Colleges (VSC) Chancellor Jeb Spaulding confirmed today that Vermont Technical College President Dan Smith has accepted the job of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Vermont Community Foundation and will be leaving the college in August.  The Executive Committee of the VSC Board of Trustees will meet in the coming weeks to determine a leadership transition for Vermont Tech.

VSC Board Chair Martha O’Connor stated, “On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I would like to thank Dan Smith for his successful leadership of Vermont Technical College.   He has put Vermont Tech on a sustainable and exciting path.  We remain confident in the future of Vermont Tech, especially as it prepares its graduates to thrive in the Vermont economy.”

“Dan Smith has been a dynamic leader at Vermont Tech.  He stepped in during a challenging time for the college and righted the ship,” said Spaulding. “I am confident the VSC Board of Trustees will select a capable leader to continue the positive momentum Dan has generated. The Vermont Community Foundation will benefit from Dan’s many skills as a leader and from his passion for Vermont.”

An interim president, appointed by the VSC Board of Trustees before the start of the 2016-2017 academic year, will join a college with forward momentum.  Vermont Tech reports above average application numbers for the fall semester.  After a successful $500,000 capital campaign this year, Vermont Tech is completing $2.5 million in renovations to three engineering laboratories in Randolph and Williston.  Last week, Vermont Tech won a $4 million grant from the US Department of Labor to provide training and education to prepare low- to middle-skilled Vermont workers to enter the workforce with better paying jobs in industries relevant to Vermont’s growth.

Vermont Tech will continue to strengthen its strategic alliance with the Community College of Vermont (CCV) that is providing clear pathways to degrees and certificates for more Vermont students while achieving operational savings. 

In his statement to the Vermont Tech community today, Smith wrote, “I am proud of what we have accomplished and the progress we’ve made.  We reorganized curriculum, reduced expenses, and built a strong foundation for the road ahead.”

Smith began his career as a law clerk in the Vermont Supreme Court and then practiced law at Downs Rachlin Martin before taking a position with the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation, where he led economic development efforts while crafting state and regional strategies to make key industry sectors more successful.

He also worked for a business management consulting company in Stowe before moving on to serve as director of community relations and public policy at Vermont State Colleges, where he developed and executed the institution’s state and federal public policy agenda.

Vermont Community Foundation Board Chair Tim Volk said, “Dan Smith is a remarkable Vermonter. He has deep roots here and a keen understanding of our people and institutions. He will be a tremendous asset for the Community Foundation as it continues to grow its impact and profile in the state.”

Smith said that the Foundation’s position in the community was one of the factors that most appealed to him. “For years, I have witnessed firsthand the impact of the Vermont Community Foundation. I am thrilled to be joining a team of talented and committed people working to build the vitality of Vermont communities. The Foundation is uniquely positioned to offer leadership and support philanthropic Vermonters across the state and I am looking forward to joining that effort.”

Smith, an eighth-generation Vermonter who grew up in central Vermont, holds a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.

He currently lives in Randolph with his wife Lindsay, who just finished her medical residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. They will be relocating to the Burlington area where she is joining an obstetrics and gynecology practice as a physician.

The Vermont Community Foundation is a family of hundreds of funds and foundations established by Vermonters to serve their charitable goals. It provides the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise to make giving easy and effective. The Foundation also provides leadership in giving by responding to community needs, mobilizing and connecting philanthropists to multiply their impact, and by keeping Vermont’s nonprofit sector vital with grants and other investments in the community.

Vermont Tech is a leading public college with a mission of applied education. One of the five Vermont State Colleges, Vermont Tech serves students from throughout Vermont, New England, and beyond at its two residential campuses in Williston and Randolph Center, regional campuses in Brattleboro and Bennington, and at six nursing campuses located throughout the state. Vermont Tech takes an optimistic, rooted, and personal approach to education to support students in gaining the confidence and practical skills necessary not only to see their potential, but to experience it. The college's academic programs encompass a wide range of engineering technology, agricultural, health, and business fields that are vital to producing the knowledgeable workers needed most by employers in the state and in the region.  www.vtc.edu.

Sources: VTC, VCF 6.21.2016