KENNESAW, Ga. | Dec 20, 2019

A Coles College alum from a family of Kennesaw State graduates joined a new family this week when she became the latest honorary inductee into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.

Robyn Smith, executive vice president of human resources for Jackson Healthcare, received the honor on Dec. 17 at the Fall 2019 Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society induction ceremony. The ceremony welcomed 58 juniors, seniors, and graduate students from the Michael J. Coles College of Business into BGS. Membership is available only to the top students at the 785 business schools globally accredited by AACSB International.

Smith, who graduated from the Coles College with a management degree, gave a keynote address during the ceremony. She described her career journey and offered advice to the student honorees about achieving personal and professional success.

“Put yourself in uncomfortable situations,” she said. “The more uncomfortable they are, they more they will stretch you further and further. You’ll gain more knowledge and more experiences from that.”

Smith’s first job after graduating was with a staffing agency. She took every opportunity to work directly with the people she was placing, which led her to discover a passion for helping others. This served her well when she pivoted into the medical field. Working for a large physician group, she rose to the role of HR director and eventually vice president. She later joined Jackson Healthcare – one of the country’s largest healthcare staffing and technology companies – and reached her current rank of EVP.

Empowering others to achieve success has been Smith’s career goal for years. It is a skill she says can help anyone become a great leader, regardless of whether they work in human resources.

“Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you,” she said. “Give them the ability to create and they will astound you because together, everyone achieves more.”

Smith’s desire to help others has led her to launch several key initiatives at Jackson Healthcare, including recently opening a no-cost employee clinic and an on-site childcare center. She plans to implement a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math program at the facility to inspire children at a young age to pursue challenging, rewarding careers.

Being named this semester’s honorary BGS inductee means a lot to Smith, whose family has deep ties to Kennesaw State. She is the first of six family members to earn degrees from Kennesaw State. Her mother, two brothers, husband, and sister-in-law have all since graduated from the University.

“At one point I was coming to school with my mother and one of my brothers and we were in the same class,” she said. “The homework was very interesting. We believe int the Owls and support KSU tremendously.”

Many of the students being inducted into BGS during the ceremony were also graduating that same week. To those students preparing to launch their professional careers, Smith urged them to work for organizations whose core values align with their own.

“Stay with your core values,” she says. “There is a little inner voice that speaks to you. Pay attention to that voice. Throughout your career you may be put in situations that don’t feel right. If it doesn’t feel right, often times that means it’s not right.”

-Patrick Harbin

Photos by Catalina Calvo