CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (WVSU) is launching a new speaker series focused on public leadership to be moderated by WVSU President Ericke S. Cage.

The premiere Conversations on Leadership event will take place on Monday, April 8, at 5:30 p.m. and will feature a conversation between President Cage and Marshall University President Brad D. Smith. 

The event will take place at the WVSU Center located at 107 Capitol St. in Charleston.

“Through this new Conversations on Leadership series, I will be speaking with successful leaders in their fields about their approaches to leading organizations through both prosperous and challenging times,” said President Cage. “I can think of no better person to start the conversation with than Brad Smith, who has achieved great success in leading not only a higher education institution but a Fortune 500 company.”

Before becoming president of Marshall University in January 2022, Smith held executive leadership positions with various companies in Silicon Valley and is best known for his tenure at Intuit, where he served as CEO for 11 years before becoming Executive Chairman. 

He has also held board memberships at a number of organizations and currently serves on the Amazon Board of Directors, the Humana Inc Board of Directors and is a Board Advisor for DignifiHealth.

Along with his wife, Alys, Smith co-founded the Wing 2 Wing Foundation to provide increased access and support for education, entrepreneurship mentoring and investment, and works to position West Virginia “as a showcase for the nation.”

Conversations on Leadership is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. To RSVP, please email rsvp@wvstateu.edu or call (304) 204-4051 by April 2, 2024.

Prior to the start of the conversation, a wine and cheese reception will begin at 5 p.m. 

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West Virginia State University is a public, land-grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.