Christala Smith, an experienced educator who was hired in July to serve as OSU Institute of Technology’s Assistant Vice President of Instruction, Accreditation and Student Success, is working to help the OSUIT community achieve new levels of success.

Smith’s career includes extensive work to advance online and distance education across Oklahoma. She most recently served as Director of the Center for Instructional Development and Technology at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where she led initiatives focused on instructional innovation, educational technology, faculty development, online learning and digital accessibility.

"We are thrilled to have Christala Smith step into the role of Assistant Vice President of Instruction, Accreditation, and Student Success. Christala's dedication to student success, coupled with her expertise in accreditation and online learning, makes her an exceptional leader for our institution,” said Provost Dr. Richie Roberts. “Her experience at Southeastern Oklahoma State University has prepared her well to help advance OSUIT's commitment to providing students with a high-quality educational experience."

Smith said she enjoys connecting people and ideas toward a greater purpose.

“This position gives me a new opportunity to keep doing that work while learning from and contributing to the OSUIT community,” she said.

Smith has a wide range of career accomplishments, including serving as Chair of the Council for Online Learning Excellence (COLE), Chair of the Online Consortium of Oklahoma (OCO) and Chair of the COLE Professional Development Committee, where she organized both in-person and virtual professional development through the Oklahoma Learning Innovations Summit (OKLIS). She is also the founder and co-chair of the Oklahoma Canvas Area Network (OK-CAN) and recently founded the Collaborative for Oklahoma Distance Education (CODE), which she currently chairs.

Smith earned a bachelor's degree in English Education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix. She is also close to earning her doctorate in Distance Education from the University of Arizona Global Campus. She taught developmental English at Southeastern while still an undergraduate at the age of 18. Smith began teaching Composition I and Composition II as an adjunct instructor after earning her bachelor’s degree and has continued in the role for nearly two decades.

She said she looks forward to making OSUIT home and becoming a meaningful part of the Cowboy family.

“More than anything, I want to build up the people around me—to help faculty and staff feel appreciated and valued, to help turn good ideas into possibilities, and to help students reach levels of success they may not have expected of themselves,” Smith said. “I want to contribute to an environment where people look toward the future with excitement rather than apprehension and feel empowered to try big things. Not everything we try will work exactly as we imagine, but every effort gives us something to learn from and build upon.”