Vermont State Colleges trustees appoint Dan Smith interim president at Vermont Tech

Related Company:Vermont Technical CollegeThe Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees on Thursday appointed Dan Smith as interim president at Vermont Technical College. At its regular meeting on April 3, the Trustees endorsed Chancellor Tim Donovan’s recommendation that Smith be appointed to that position through June 30, 2015, to provide leadership as the College seeks to recover sound financial footing in the coming year prior to any search for a permanent president.
On March 25, Chancellor Tim Donovan announced Dr Conroy’s retirement effective November 15, 2014, and his departure on a leave of absence until that time. Smith has been serving as acting president of the college since that date. Smith previously served as the director of community relations and public policy for the Vermont State Colleges system.
“Vermont Tech is a treasured resource in the state for its success in graduating students into well-paying jobs in the economic sectors most needed in Vermont,” said Chancellor of Vermont State Colleges Tim Donovan. “Dan Smith brings a high degree of strategic leadership, a strong background in economic development and a commitment to working with the Vermont Tech community. I’m confident in his abilities to help the college innovate while maintaining its applied education roots.”
VSC Board Chair Gary Moore commented, “I truly believe that we can stabilize VTC and get it moving forward so long as we all work together. It will take innovative leadership, strong financial management, and a commitment by the board and the college to make hard yet strategic decisions. We cannot fail or allow VTC to lose its long-held position as one of our premier institutions of higher learning. The Board believes that Dan Smith is the right choice to lead the institution in the coming year.”
A native of Middlesex, VT, Smith has served as the director of community relations and public policy at the Vermont State Colleges since October 2010. A lawyer by training, Smith has a background in economic development and strategy and was employed as a strategic consultant with the Arno Group prior to joining the Colleges. Smith has also served as Vice President and General Counsel to the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) and worked with the Vermont law firm of Downs Rachlin Martin.
Dan Smith, center, with John Boutin, VBM publisher, and Governor Jim Douglas at the Rising Stars ceremony in 2010.
Smith is a graduate of both the University of Virginia and the UVA School of Law. Following law school he served as law clerk to Justice James L. Morse of the Vermont Supreme Court. Demonstrating his passion for Vermont youth, Smith chaired the Board of Directors of Mobius – The Mentoring Movement for three years and was a mentor at Edmunds Elementary School in Burlington for ten years. He was a Vermont Business Magazine "Rising Star" in 2010.
About Vermont Tech – Vermont Tech is the only public institution of higher learning in Vermont whose mission is 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 five 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 to not only see their potential, but to experience it. Our 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.
Randolph Center, Vt. — The Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees Aril 3, 2014