Assistant Secretary of State Smith to Speak at N.C. A&T on Sept. 21 and 22

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 16, 2022) – Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Gentry Smith will visit North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University next week to raise student awareness of career opportunities with the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).

Smith will be the keynote speaker Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 6:30 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium for a joint lecture with  the 2022 Extraordinary Global Experiences series and the University Honors Program Fall 2022 Lecture Series. He will discuss opportunities both domestically and abroad with DSS, the law enforcement and security arm of the U.S. Department of State.

“N.C. A&T is not only the largest HBCU in the nation, it is also nationally recognized for its excellence in STEM education,” said Smith. “I received an excellent education at North Carolina State University and recognize that, just as at A&T, its doors are open to everyone as a land-grant, public university – ensuring a diverse group of students and career options.”

Smith noted that DSS is recruiting for Foreign Service careers as special agents, security engineering officers, security technical specialists, and diplomatic couriers, as well as for Civil Service and contracting positions.

“Universities like N.C. State and N.C. A&T are an important focus for DSS recruitment. They are generally representative of the diversity that we seek and are highly regarded,” said Smith. “They also reflect the diversity of the American people, which is the type of workforce we seek.”

Smith, from Weldon, North Carolina, began his career as a Raleigh, North Carolina, police officer, then joined DSS as a special agent in 1987, rising through the ranks over the next three decades. In 2014, he was named director of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Foreign Missions where he held the rank of ambassador.  He retired in February 2017.  He was asked to return to DSS by the Biden Administration and was sworn in as assistant secretary Aug. 12, 2021.

Smith will participate in in sessions with departments across campus during the Sept. 21-22 series, which was created as a pilot in 2019 by NCAT Extraordinary Opportunities (NCAT EO).

A&T’s Office of External Affairs and College of Arts. Humanities and Social Sciences are cohosting Extraordinary Global Experiences series, which is open to the campus community, with NCAT EO and the University Honors Program.

The series offers students and alumni the chance to explore extraordinary opportunities to learn less commonly taught languages overseas, as well as ask questions of panelists who can connect them to internship, career and educational programs domestically and abroad.

For more information about the series, email Alsace-Lorraine Gallop, the university’s national scholarships and fellowships coordinator, at acgallop@ncat.edu.