Leading Communications at Luther College
DRC Sponsor: Lorraine Borowski
Luther College President Jenifer K. Ward appointed Bill Smith as Vice President for Communications at Luther College on October 16, 2023. He serves as the head of the newly constituted Division of Communications, which encompasses the offices of Marketing and Communications as well as Campus Programming. Dr. Smith will be visiting our club to share his insights into his role at the college, the current state of affairs, and future plans.
Dr. Smith came to Decorah from Arkansas State University (ASU) where he served since 2013 and most recently as Chief Communications Officer. At ASU, he led external and internal communications efforts. He initiated a visual branding program, served as primary university spokesperson and managed crisis communications. For his work in university communications, he has won multiple regional awards from the Council for the Support and Advancement of Education (CASE).
He is a historian as well as a communications expert. Dr. Smith holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Arkansas, as well as an M.A. in History and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He has taught history at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and at Northwest Arkansas Community College. For the regional National Public Radio affiliate in Northwest Arkansas, he created and co-hosted a monthly “We’re History” radio program reflecting on the use of history in popular culture. His scholarly areas of expertise are in U.S. diplomatic and military history as well as 20th-century U.S. and European history.
As a crisis communications expert, he holds certifications in public information and the incident command system from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He achieved the National Weather Service’s StormReady Campus certification for Arkansas State in 2017 and 2022.
An avid cyclist, Dr. Smith holds a certification as a safety course instructor from the League of American Bicyclists, and he has served as board president of the Northeast Arkansas Bicycle Coalition. His cycling interests brought him to Iowa in 2018 to complete RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa).
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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.