N.C. A&T Names Kecia Williams Smith Dean of Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 2, 2026) – Following a highly competitive national search, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has named Kecia Williams Smith ‘95, Ph.D., CPA, dean of the Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics. Smith has served as interim dean since July 23, 2025.

The first N.C. A&T alumna and the second woman to lead the Deese College, the nation’s top-ranked HBCU business school, Smith follows Beryl McEwen, Ph.D., who served as dean from 2014 to 2017, when the college was known as the College of Business and Economics. Smith is a nationally prominent leader in accounting, having been named one of the nation’s Most Powerful Women in Accounting in 2022, as well as a leader in North Carolina, where she is a gubernatorially appointed member of the State Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners.

She becomes permanent dean of a college whose MBA program has ranked among the nation’s top 100 for five consecutive years and that ranks No. 1 among HBCU MBAs.

“Dr. Smith has demonstrated exceptional leadership, a steadfast commitment to excellence and a deep regard for our students, faculty and staff,” said Catherine Edmonds, Ed.D, interim provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Her strategic vision and collaborative approach have strengthened the Deese College, enhanced community and corporate partnership building and positioned the college for continued innovation and success. I am confident she will continue to lead with integrity, purpose and impact as our permanent dean.”

Smith joined A&T in 2019 as director of the Master of Accountancy program and Center for Accounting Opportunities and associate professor of accounting and finance. Her distinguished career includes leadership roles at Deloitte and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), as well as faculty service at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business.

With 25 years of experience driving strategic results in public accounting, audit regulation and academia, Smith is a valued advisor to business organizations, not-for-profit entities and regulators on compliance, corporate governance, change and transformation.

Smith previously served on the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s Accountability Advisory Council and has extensive corporate governance experience from her work with advisory boards and regulators.

Smith’s scope of research includes audit quality, regulatory oversight, auditor judgment and the advancement of diversity in the accounting profession. Her work appears in scholarly journals such Accounting, Organizations and Society; Auditing: The Journal of Practice and Theory; Accounting Horizons; Issues in Accounting Education; and Current Issues in Auditing.

Smith is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Institute of CPAs, the North Carolina Association of CPAs, the American Accounting Association and NABA, Inc.

Smith received her B.S. in accounting summa cum laude from A&T before earning her Ph.D. in accounting from Texas A&M University.