DR. ALICIA B. HARVEY-SMITH APPOINTED TO HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE ADVISORY BOARD
Pittsburgh Technical College president adds to impressive list of board appointments, accolades
PITTSBURGH—September 19, 2021 – Pittsburgh Technical College (PTC) president Alicia B. Harvey-Smith, Ph.D., has been appointed to the Higher Education Research and Development Institute (HERDI) Advisory Board. HERDI links higher education with corporate America by providing forums for meaningful dialogue between business leaders and presidents and chancellors of key colleges across the country.
“It is an honor to be appointed to the advisory board of such an important and prestigious organization as HERDI,” said Dr. Harvey-Smith. “HERDI brings together outstanding college presidents and chancellors from across America to share ideas, improve products and services and better serve students. I look forward to the opportunity to help business leaders better understand the needs of the primarily two-year and independent college market.”
HERDI advisory boards are composed of more than 100 peer-selected college leaders who confidentially help clients research, sharpen, reshape and refine their marketing messages and strategies. The candid comments, reviews and critiques are shared directly with clients to support market expansion and overall organizational success.
HERDI was founded in 2000 as a concept created and led by Dr. Michael Kneale. In 2007, Dr. Kneale passed his duties on to Dr. Toni Cleveland, an original HERDI board member, who has built on Dr. Kneale’s success. With her husband, Don Lee, Dr. Cleveland manages all aspects of HERDI from their office in Richmond, Virginia.
In addition to HERDI, Dr. Harvey-Smith is a board member of the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education (PCHE), a multi-purpose consortium of the 11 accredited colleges and universities in Allegheny County, Pa.; Nazareth Prep, an independent Catholic high school for families who cannot afford private education; and Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures, an organization in its 30th year as both a prestigious and diverse literary arts non-profit focused on diversity, educational outreach and community partnerships.
Dr. Harvey-Smith was appointed as president of PTC in 2019 and is set to be officially inaugurated in summer 2022. She is the first PTC president to lead the college as a private, fully nonprofit institution. Early in her tenure at PTC, Dr. Harvey-Smith established three key priorities and six strategic directions as a guide for strategic planning and decision-making. Working with an inclusive team of college employees, she developed a five-year plan incorporating these strategies to guide the college in its growth and development as a leader in rebuilding the Commonwealth’s workforce. Her focus is on positioning PTC as a college of first choice for technical and trades education and jobs of the future, becoming a pipeline to middle skills careers, and fueling economic development.
Dr. Harvey-Smith has made an immediate impact on PTC through partnerships with higher education organizations and associations within the Pittsburgh region and the state. Her work has been acknowledged through multiple awards and recognitions, including: 2020 Woman of Excellence and 2019 Woman of Influence from the Pittsburgh Business Times, Woman of Excellence from the New Pittsburgh Courier, Woman of Achievement by Cribs for Kids and the Black History Achievement Award from the Pastors’ Wives Auxiliary. She has also received a nomination for CEO of the Year from the Pittsburgh Technology Council.