For Kofi Smith, IE 1999, MBA 2009, his recent gift to Tech Square Phase 3 is an expression of two of his core values: faith and family. 

Kofi’s educational and philanthropic journeys were inspired by his parents, Patricia and Johnny Smith. As husband and wife, they were both pursuing doctorates when they found out they were expecting Kofi. They decided to leave their respective programs and return home to Alabama to work.

Years later, when Kofi was deciding where to attend college, he received a football scholarship from Georgia Tech. He studied industrial and systems engineering and played cornerback for the Yellow Jackets. While he faced setbacks and challenges as a student, he persevered and was elected as a permanent team captain in his senior year. At his final home game, he scooped up
a fumble and returned it 90 yards. For the next 22 years, he held the record for the longest fumble recovery return.

After Kofi graduated, he took a job at Milliken & Company, where he applied the lessons he learned from his studies and football. He quickly found success and was promoted six times in four years.

“My industrial engineering degree allowed me to look at systems and processes,” said Kofi. “Coupling that with the fact that I was an athlete meant I could look at and rearrange people into positions where they would be successful and positively affect systems
at the same time.”

In 2003, he left Milliken to follow his football dream, joining indoor arena leagues for four seasons. Then, following in his parents’ footsteps, Kofi paused his dreams to better provide for his 12-year-old son, whose biological father died before his birth. He returned to corporate America and later came back to Georgia Tech to earn his MBA.

Kofi eventually graduated with an Executive Doctor of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University, which he dedicated to his parents for the sacrifices they had made for him.

In this spirit, Kofi has made a gift supporting the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business and the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE). He has directed his philanthropic support to name a “nexus” connecting the seventh floors of the Scheller Tower and George Tower in honor of his parents. These connected towers will pair two of the Institute’s most celebrated programs through Tech Square Phase 3, a project that will offer new opportunities for collaboration, interdisciplinary research, and business development to advance Georgia Tech, the city of Atlanta, and Georgia for generations to come.

This shared space is a way for Kofi to support two areas of Georgia Tech that set his career in motion and to encourage current ISyE and Scheller students to consider how these academic programs might position them for their own career success. “The industrial engineering degree trains you to be able to look at systems and processes. Scheller gives you the business acumen you need for operational execution, strategic thinking, organizational behavior, economics, finance, and marketing. The combination creates someone who is unstoppable. There is nothing someone with a Scheller and ISyE background cannot do.”

Kofi has remained engaged with Georgia Tech through his volunteer service and leadership on multiple boards, including the Scheller College Advisory Board, School of Building Construction Advisory Board, Georgia Tech Advisory Board, and Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees. This most recent gift builds upon his previous philanthropy directed to athletic scholarships and unrestricted support for the Institute. Aligned with the collaborative nature of Tech Square Phase 3, Kofi’s support celebrates connections — between Scheller College and ISyE and between Kofi and the students who will see themselves in his story.

To make a gift directed to Scheller Tower, contact Duante Stanton, senior director of Development for Scheller College, at duante.stanton@scheller.gatech.edu. To make a gift directed to George Tower, contact Nancy Sandlin, senior director of Development for the Stewart School, at nancy.sandlin@isye.gatech.edu.