Dr. Shanna A. Smith graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in 2008 with a degree in communication with an emphasis in public relations and advertising, and a minor in business administration. While at HSU, she was highly involved and dove into every one of her activities with a passion and commitment to excellence that has brought her success to her future endeavors.
While at HSU, Dr. Smith was involved in many campus groups and events, including the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC), American Advertising Federation (AAF), New Student Orientation (NSO) and numerous intramural sports. She was also an HSU cheerleader and became the captain of the squad during her senior year. Not only did she excel in her extracurriculars, she earned memberships into the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society, Gamma Beta Phi National Honor and Service Society, Alpha Mu Gamma Foreign Language Honor Society due to her dedication to her schoolwork. Dr. Smith was also a member of the President’s List every semester and graduated with a 4.0.
“Hardin-Simmons University provided me with a strong spiritual and educational foundation to begin my career on the right path,” Dr. Smith said. “It truly is a place where ‘education is enlightened by faith.’ HSU’s passionate, caring professors invested in not only the quality of my academics, but also my personal quality of life and well-being. They provided me with hands-on learning opportunities and real-world applicable examples that gave me confidence and have carried me through to where I am today in my career.”
After graduating from Hardin-Simmons, Dr. Smith started a career in hospitality, travel, and tourism. She began by working as the director of communication for the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB). While working, she earned her masters of business administration from Liberty University in 2009. Later, she served as an adjunct instructor of business communication for many academic institutions. Then, she became the director of communication and marketing for the City of Granbury. While she was there, she was the city’s public information officer and the leader of Visit Granbury, the convention and visitors bureau of Granbury.
Then, she moved back to San Antonio, where she grew up, and began to work for Visit San Antonio. She started at the bureau’s partner communications manager, but received a promotion to become the organization’s chief of staff. While in this position, Dr. Smith worked on the organization’s long-term strategic planning process, assisted with its transitions to a 501c6 public-private partnership, produced executive communications, and oversaw major events such as the organization's annual business meeting and the National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) initiative.
While working for this industry, she won several honors and awards. This list includes being a San Antonio Business Journal “40 Under 40” award recipient, Hardin-Simmons University Outstanding Young Alumni (OYA) award recipient, Destinations International “30 Under 30” award recipient, Texas Travel Alliance (TTA) Certified Tourism Executive (CTE), TTA Rising Star award recipient, and the Statesman Texas Social Media Award. The Abilene Reporter-News also named Dr. Smith as one of the “Top 20 Under 40 Business Leaders” in Abilene.
In 2017, she began a doctoral program at Walden University. During this time she was an active duty military spouse and she found herself moved by the resiliency of the military spouses around her, but was troubled by the challenges those families often face. She used this to create her dissertation on the topic of Employer Strategies for Military Spouse Talent Retention.
The COVID-19 pandemic devastated her work and Dr. Smith and her family were required to move by the military later in 2020, so she pivoted industries. Inspired by her new interest to impact the lives of the military families around her, she began to work for the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN). MFAN is an organization dedicated to understanding and amplifying the needs of military-connected families and inspiring data-informed change.
She began her career at MFAN as the national events manager and transitioned into the senior manager of external relations. Since receiving her doctoral degree, she now serves as the associate director of research for MFAN. She is an applied qualitative researcher studying topics and issues that impact military and veteran families. The data collected by MFAN has been used to inform local, state and federal policy efforts, like the Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Military Family Nutrition Access Act, and the Military Spouse Hiring Act.
Today, she serves as an adjunct professor of business administration and teaches a variety of courses for graduate and undergraduate students in management, marketing and hospitality.
“After getting a taste for teaching upon the conclusion of my master’s degree, I knew I would return to the classroom one day. I absolutely love engaging with my students and fostering their creativity and critical thinking processes. I enjoy sharing my personal examples and stories from the business world with my students. I am energized when they connect with a subject matter. In fact, my teaching style is inspired by many of my professors at HSU – who always focused on much needed, real-world, lived experiences,” Dr. Smith said.
She also currently serves as an executive leadership and organizational consultant.
“I believe that leadership is not just about improving yourself, but also developing, influencing, and mentoring those around you,” Dr. Smith said. “I believe in a ‘not just me, but we’ mentality. One cannot succeed without the other.”
Dr. Smith also works on the volunteer leadership committee for the Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Professional Network (MSPN) and as a Servicemember Family Readiness Group (SFRG) leader in Hawaii. She also serves on the Texas Governor’s Committee to Support the Military.
Dr. Smith has also served on many boards, committees, and task forces throughout her career that have not been previously mentioned including the Texas Association for Convention & Visitors Bureaus (TACVB), Valero Alamo Bowl, and Boysville, Inc. She also has remained engaged in the community through various groups such as the Harvard University Young American Leaders Program (YALP), Leadership San Antonio (LSA), Leadership Granbury and Leadership Abilene.
Dr. Smith has remained connected to HSU and has served for 12 years on HSU’s Board of Young Associates (BYA). She completed her presidency of the board in 2020.
“The fond memories that I have of my time at Hardin-Simmons have led me to be very passionate about the university’s endeavors, opportunities, and future,” Dr. Smith said. “Involvement on the Board of Young Associates has helped me stay connected with HSU – to be able to look for ways to contribute to the university that gave me so much and to make HSU better for the ones who go after us,” stated Dr. Smith. “I am incredibly grateful for the impact the university has had on my life. God used HSU as a vessel to truly help shape my foundation and future.”