ECSU Dean of School of Education and Business, Dr. Joy Smith, Appointed to NC Teaching Fellows Commission

Elizabeth City State University’s dean of the School of Education and Business, Dr. Joy Smith, has been appointed to the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission. The appointment was made by the UNC Board of Governors last month. 

Established in 2017 by the North Carolina General Assembly, the commission is responsible for determining program and forgivable loan recipient criteria and selection procedures. The commission selects five participating institutions of higher education with approved educator preparation programs, selecting recipients to receive forgivable loans. 

The commission has 14 members. 

“This is an honor to be appointed to this commission. Working to educate future teachers in North Carolina is an important mission and I am excited to be a part of this team,” said Dr. Smith. 

Appointed by the UNC Board of Governors, the commission consists of two deans from UNC constituent universities; the president of a North Carolina community college; a teacher who has graduated from an approved North Carolina educator preparation program; a school principal who has graduated from a North Carolina education preparation program; a local board of education member; and a member of the business community. The General Assembly also makes appointments to the commission. 

The commission coordinates with the State Education Assistance Authority and provides an annual report on the program’s outcomes to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee. 

In addition to being dean, Dr. Smith is a longtime business and economics professor at ECSU. She earned an A. B. in Policy Studies from Dartmouth College, a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, an M.B.A from DePaul University’s Kellstadt School of Business, an M.P.M. from Western Carolina University, and an M. Phil. and a Ph.D. from New York University’s Stern School of Business. 

Before coming to ECSU, she taught at Chicago’s Columbia College, at New York University and at Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne. Her primary teaching assignments are in Organizational Behavior, Operations Management, Project Management, and Entrepreneurship.

She also serves as a new student advisor. Her primary areas of research interest center on supply chain management, psychological contracts, GRIT, and educating rural students. 

She has published her research in a variety of journals including the Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, the International Journal of Production Economics, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, International Journal of Volunteer Administration and Southwest Business Administration Journal. She serves on the steering committee for the AACSB’s Small Schools Network and Women Administrators in Management Education affinity group and as Secretary of the HBCU Business Deans Roundtable Executive Committee and Advisory Board.  She previously served as Treasurer of the Public and Nonprofit Sector division of the Academy of Management, where she has also presented papers. She is a member of the Delta Mu Delta honor society (where she was a former Medallion Award Winner), and Beta Gamma Sigma. 

She was named an alternate for a Fulbright-Hays fellowship. She also serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Organizational Theory and Behavior. She has served as co-chair of the University Curriculum Committee and as a member of the General Studies Advisory Board. She was previously chair of the Outcomes Assessment Committee and Quality Control Coordinator.  She also serves as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of First United Methodist Church in Elizabeth City and as President of the Elizabeth City Rotary Club and as a membership advocate for Rotary District 7720.