Leadership

Dr. Kelli Smith

Assistant Vice President for Student Success

About Kelli

Dr. Kelli Smith serves as the AVP for Student Success within the Division of Student Affairs at Binghamton University, following the role of the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development Director. Her portfolio includes oversight of three dedicated teams, specifically the Fleishman Center, the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), and Student Transition and Success which she created with existing resources to better serve Binghamton students. She regularly partners with Academic Affairs on student success-related projects, such as previously coordinating a university-wide team focused on high-impact practices and leading the creation of a Common Read program, now in its third year. She currently co-chairs the university’s Strategic Priority for Engagement, two committees related to enrollment management, and sits on the President’s extended cabinet. She also has adjunct faculty roles for both the School of Management leadership department and the Student Affairs graduate program.

Dr. Smith remains involved internationally in the field of career services having co-chaired the Global Career Services Summit in Newcastle, UK, and most recently co-chairing this year’s NACE Task Force on the Positioning of Career Services Task Force and joining the NACE Board of Directors. She has conducted numerous presentations related to the field of student affairs and regularly published, including serving as editor for two Wiley New Directions books related to career services. Under her leadership, graduate career outcomes metrics exceeded the campus strategic planning goal 3 years early and the Fleishman Center and the CCE have won numerous state, national, and global awards.

Inspired from being a Pell-grant recipient and first-generation college student herself, she created the first campus pantry at her former institution, their first internship scholarship program, and helped champion the creation of Binghamton’s B-First mentoring program. She holds a master’s degree from Indiana University-Bloomington and a Ph.D. in leadership studies from UNL.

What is your favorite thing about working at Binghamton University?
We are incredibly fortunate to not only work for a premier university that truly is a public Ivy, but I’m convinced I truly get to work with the most talented, dedicated staff and that our students are exceptional. I also love all of the departments I get to support, and even though we all need to work really, really hard, I truly believe I have the best job on campus.

What was your first internship or job?
I have worked since I was 12, and at one point I counted all the part-time jobs I held growing up and it was over 25. For the first, I made a kit to paint house numbers on curbs for people’s homes, using tires and other materials. I went door to door with my brother in my small Nebraska town to “sell” this product in the heat of the summer. I made a few bucks, but it made me appreciate future jobs much more!

What are you passionate about?
I really love supporting my teams and staff members to ensure they have what they need and are motivated to be innovative and provide the absolute best services for our students possible in order to ensure every student here is successful.

What is your best piece of career or professional advice?
Start as early as you can and when you are ready because it is a process (lifelong, really), and it will help what we know can feel a bit overwhelming. But also know we have the very best staff here who have dedicated their careers to help support and guide you, and who genuinely care