Please take a moment to welcome the College of Business’ newest academic advisor, Ginny Smith.
Smith comes to Illinois State with nearly a decade of higher education experience. From 2004–2013, she has held numerous roles at Greenville College, a small private liberal arts school in Greenville. Those roles included admissions counselor, senior transfer admissions counselor, assistant director of admissions, and most recently, marketing content developer and social media specialist.
Family is what initially brought Smith back to the Bloomington-Normal area, but her love of higher education is what attracted her to Illinois State. “Having spent nearly a decade working in higher education, I absolutely cannot imagine working in any other field,” Smith said. “I love knowing that my career makes a difference in the lives of students.”
In her previous roles, her love of higher education was apparent as she recruited and advised students, and eventually went on to work on marketing toward those students. “Taking a job as an academic advisor at this point in my career just made sense,” she said. “I love working with students, and I love making sure that they are encouraged and prepared to succeed. “
Her husband, Jared, is excited too about Illinois State. Having worked in higher education for nearly a decade as well, he is now a part of Web and Interactive Communications at Illinois State, where he works as a web analyst.
The Smiths currently live just outside of Bloomington-Normal, in Emden, with their 3-year-old daughter, Addison. They love that working for Illinois State means living closer to family and they love being back in the Bloomington-Normal area. In her spare time, Smith cheers on the Chicago Cubs, is an avid baker, enjoys being silly with her husband and daughter, and loves baking.
