59. Stacy Gilbert: Building the Student Experience

Tonya Oaks Smith (@marleysmom) has spent most of her adult life smoothing frayed edges, herding wet and hungry cats, breaking down silos and perfecting the #facepalm –- all while dancing backwards and in heels with a big smile on her face. A former reporter who sold her soul and then redeemed it by moving to communication for a public university, Smith is a fan of the words “y’all” and “malheureusement” — not necessarily in that order, and prefers the em dash to commas. She is executive director of university communications and marketing at Louisiana Tech University.