SUNY Canton Faculty Member Named to Postsecondary State Career Technical Education Leaders Fellowship

Canton, NY (12/12/2024) — The New York Association for Career and Technical Education (NYSACTE) Postsecondary State Career Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship has announced that SUNY Canton Assistant Professor Stacia R. Smith, D. Tech., was selected as a fellow during their inaugural selection process.

The NYSACTE Fellowship builds upon the Advance CTE national fellowship and will address a critical need for more diverse representation within New York State postsecondary institutions and State CTE leadership.

"New York's Career Technical Education programs are as diverse as the students they serve," Erin Smith, president of NYSACTE, said in a statement. "It's crucial that we develop leaders who not only understand this diversity but are ready to support and uplift it."

Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Decision & Graphic Media Systems department at SUNY Canton's Canino School of Engineering Technology, where she has been teaching computing and technology courses since 2009. She spent 12 years as the college's director and principal investigator for the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program, where she provided:

• Mentoring and educational assistance to minorities and economically disadvantaged students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
• Health-related academic programming.
• Other professional programs requiring a license.

"This fellowship will broaden my knowledge of the issues facing my underrepresented learners and understand strategies to help them thrive on our campus," Smith said. "I am excited to be learning alongside 14 other fellows who share a passion for closing the equity gaps our students face. It is an honor to have been selected."

Smith currently serves as chair of the Women in Engineering committee, a member of the campus's Affirmative Action and Nomination and Promotions committees, and enjoys volunteering at student events, including Commencement and Comic-Con. She is an accomplished grant writer who has secured over $1.7 million in STEM funding for the college. She recently obtained her FAA remote pilot license and has begun teaching drone programming in her computing courses.

She said her favorite parts of her job are mentoring and advising students. She has been nominated for a Stellar Advisor Award several years in a row and is currently serving on the dissertation committees of several doctorate students at Purdue University, where she earned her Doctorate of Technology degree. Smith also has a master's degree from SUNY Potsdam and earned her associate and bachelor's degrees from SUNY Canton.

NYSACTE launched the Postsecondary State CTE Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE, sponsored by ECMC Foundation (Fellowship) in September 2024 with a goal of supporting and equipping early and mid-career postsecondary CTE leaders with the knowledge, tools and network to effectively lead high-quality and equitable postsecondary CTE at the state level.

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SUNY Canton Assistant Professor Stacia Smith stands in one of the college's computer laboratories. Smith was recently selected as a fellow for the New York Association for Career and Technical Education Postsecondary State Career Technical Education Leaders Fellowship.