F. Alan Smith Distinguished Lecture Series
Purpose
Establish a nationally significant speaker series at Florida Tech. (GF000111)Description
The program has established a flagship speaker event that brings senior leaders to Florida Tech to share their expertise in discussing national trends with students, faculty, and the broader community. The Alan Smith Lectures focus typically on topics relating to transportation.
History
F. Alan Smith obtained his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1951 and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business in 1953. Throughout his life, or for more than 30 years, to be more specific, he has held different leadership positions in which he has succeeded such as Executive Vice President of Finance of General Motors and President and General Manager of General Motors of Canada, Ltd. Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors of 3M Corp.
Smith has served on Florida Institute of Technology’s Board of Trustees since 1996 and, in 2007, founded the “F. Alan Smith Distinguished Lecture Series”, in which corporate executives speak to students, faculty, and community leaders at Florida Tech. The lecture series includes topics such as innovation in the automotive industry, self-driving cars, the Hyperloop high-speed rail, and advances in ridesharing, among others.
