INSTITUTE, W.Va. - Retired Detroit-area public school administrator Dr. Ann Brothers Smith has been elected Chair of the West Virginia State University (WVSU) Board of Governors for the 2016 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015. Smith's election came on Thursday, June 18, during a meeting of the Board.

A 1964 graduate of WVSU, Smith worked for many years in the Detroit Public School System as a teacher, assistant principal and principal. She retired in 2007 as the Associate Superintendent for School Leadership for Detroit Public Schools.

"I want to continue to build on the success that we have experienced over the past three years," said Smith, who succeeds Charleston area business leader Tom Susman, who served as Chair of the Board the previous two years. "The momentum we have built in increased student enrollment, reconnecting with alumni and investing in infrastructure and new facilities for our students will only propel the University forward." Smith has served on the WVSU Board of Governors since 2011, most recently as Vice Chair. She is also President Emeritus of the WVSU National Alumni Association and serves on the WVSU Foundation Board of Directors. In 2010, she was recognized as the WVSU Alumna of the Year.

"I am a proud alumnus of this institution, and I think that will serve me well as Chair of the Board of Governors," Smith said. "To have someone in this position who has been involved with the University for decades during the highs and lows, and witnessing how it has evolved; provides valuable insight for understanding the past to help us, as a Board, chart the future."

In addition to earning her bachelor's degree from WVSU, Smith earned a master's degree from Ohio State University and a doctorate degree in education from Wayne State University. Also on Thursday, Charleston area attorney Paul Konstanty was elected Vice Chair of the Board of Governors for fiscal year 2016. Konstanty is a member of the law firm Steptoe & Johnson.

In addition, WVSU alum William Lipscomb was elected the Board of Governors Secretary for fiscal year 2016. Lipscomb is a Re-Entry Specialist with KISRA. Daisy Squirts has also joined the Board of Governors as the Classified Staff Representative, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the previous staff representative. Squirts is a counselor with Academic Support Services. The Board of Governors provides oversight to the University. The Board consists of nine members appointed by the governor of West Virginia, as well as representatives of the school's faculty, students and classified staff.
The next meeting of the WVSU Board of Governors will be held in September.