Dr. Rick W. Smith Sr., Ed.D., CFRL, CCDP Dr. Rick W. Smith Sr. is President of Dallas College North Lake and a nationally recognized higher education executive, workforce strategist, and community development leader with more than 30 years of senior leadership experience across higher education, healthcare, nonprofit management, and public affairs. Throughout his career, Dr. Smith has served in executive leadership roles at community colleges, public universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), statewide higher education systems, and major nonprofit organizations. His work centers on strengthening institutional sustainability, advancing workforce alignment, building cross-sector partnerships, and expanding access to opportunity through education. A respected thought leader on the evolving role of postsecondary institutions in economic mobility, Dr. Smith is the author of Legacy Reimagined: The Workforce Imperative — A Roadmap for HBCUs, an Amazon Best Seller that presents a strategic framework for aligning HBCUs with the future of work while preserving mission and identity. He is also the author of Say It With Your Chest: Your Presence Is Power, Use It and the Amazon Best Seller They Keep Moving the Goal Post: How to Move Around Obstacles and on to Opportunities. His writing and speaking engagements focus on leadership, workforce development, institutional strategy, and the power of legacy-driven leadership. Dr. Smith holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from Bradley University, a Master of Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communications from the University of Louisville. He is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s New Presidents Seminar and the Clark Atlanta University Executive Leadership Institute. He also holds professional certifications in workforce strategy, inclusive leadership, and talent development from Cornell University. An active civic leader, Dr. Smith serves on multiple boards and is a member of Rotary International, the NAACP, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. He is a proud father and grandfather who believes leadership and legacy are inseparable.