{"id":51797,"date":"2025-03-28T14:28:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T19:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=51797"},"modified":"2025-03-28T14:28:41","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T19:28:41","slug":"get-to-know-miriam-a-smith-accs-new-vice-chancellor-of-advancement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/03\/28\/get-to-know-miriam-a-smith-accs-new-vice-chancellor-of-advancement\/","title":{"rendered":"Get to Know Miriam A. Smith: ACC\u2019s New Vice Chancellor of Advancement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As Miriam Smith completes her first month as Austin Community College District\u2019s (ACC) new Vice Chancellor of Advancement & Executive Director of the ACC Foundation, we\u2019re getting to know the person behind the title. With a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to expanding access to education, she is dedicated to making a lasting impact at ACC.<\/p>\n

Miriam shared more about her journey, her vision for the College, and what drives her professionally and personally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Background <\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. What drew you to Austin Community College District?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    ACC is known for its innovation in programs with an emphasis on preparing students for further education or employment opportunities in the local community. That approach aligns with my view of what quality education is all about. I was also drawn to ACC\u2019s mission \u2014 \u201cto love our students to success.\u201d As a fundraiser, keeping students and the community at the forefront of our work is critical to ACC\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. What\u2019s one piece of advice that has guided you in your career?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Advice that has guided me throughout my career has been to lead with integrity and honesty in what I say and do, and to treat everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. What\u2019s one thing you\u2019d like the ACC community to know about you as a leader?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        I consider myself a \u201cservant leader,\u201d which means I lead from a place of selflessness, supporting and celebrating the success of others as we do our work and accomplish our goals.<\/p>\n

        College Advancement<\/strong><\/h3>\n
          \n
        1. What excites you most about joining ACC at this moment?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          As Dr. Lowery-Hart states in the State of the College Report<\/a>, ACC is launching change initiatives to ensure all students are prepared for success, either for further education or employment opportunities in the community. That is very exciting to me! Further, ACC\u2019s values, especially Courage and Compassion, are fundamental to how I aspire to lead.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. What are your top priorities in your first year in this role?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            My initial priority is to gather information from key stakeholders (e.g., the Foundation team, students, alumni, administration, faculty, community leaders, etc.) to understand the current state of performance and to collect their perspectives on ACC\u2019s current and future needs. This information will provide me with the context and impetus to develop impactful initiatives to achieve our goals.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. How will this help support the College\u2019s goal to make tuition FREE for everyone?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              The goal of \u201cFree Tuition\u201d is an exciting and inspirational objective which will require teamwork from all who support and advocate for our students. My role is to partner with these stakeholders to develop and lead initiatives that ensure we meet this key objective.<\/p>\n

              Community Engagement <\/strong><\/h3>\n
                \n
              1. How can the ACC community support the mission of College Advancement?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                I was taught by one of my mentors that fundraising is a team sport, and I believe the entire ACC community can advance the purposes of ACC, especially as it relates to supporting our North Star Goal: 70% student completion rate by 2030. This will require excellence in curricula, programs, and services that attract, nurture, challenge, and retain our students.<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Do you have a vision for how ACC can grow its culture of philanthropy?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  Recognizing and valuing the individuals and organizations that currently support ACC will continue to be important. Further, ACC has a terrific opportunity to leverage its reputation and standing in the community and develop relationships and alliances that support and promote ACC\u2019s vision and North Star.<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. How can ACC strengthen its relationships with donors and alumni?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    I strongly believe that philanthropy is a two-way street. By that, I mean that it will be essential that we engage alumni and donors with initiatives and programs that address their needs and interests as well as meet ACC\u2019s strategic objectives.<\/p>\n

                    Personal <\/strong><\/h3>\n
                      \n
                    1. What\u2019s something people might be surprised to learn about you?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      I auditioned for the TV program \u201cStar Search\u201d but was eliminated from the competition after the first round. However, I did make the cast of the musical \u201cAnnie\u201d when it ended its run on Broadway and brought the show to Atlanta.<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. What career path might you have pursued if you weren\u2019t working in higher education and fundraising?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                        My education and training focused on my initial career goal of becoming an opera singer, and I still love the performing arts and singing.<\/p>\n

                          \n
                        1. When you\u2019re not working, how do you like to spend your free time?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                          I am very close to my family, and I always enjoy spending time with them. I am also a \u201cfoodie\u201d and like traveling to other countries and learning how food influences their culture and traditions.<\/p>\n

                          \n

                          For more information about the ACC Foundation, visit austincc.edu\/foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          As Miriam Smith completes her first month as Austin Community College District\u2019s (ACC) new Vice Chancellor of Advancement & Executive Director of the ACC Foundation, we\u2019re getting to know the person behind the title. With … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3930,"featured_media":51798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,15,17,19],"tags":[916,4125,3547,4098],"class_list":["post-51797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-students","category-facstaff-news","category-news-and-announcements","category-students-and-alumni","tag-donation","tag-executive-director-of-the-acc-foundation","tag-foundation","tag-vice-chancellor-of-advancement"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3930"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}