HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The newest member of the Marshall University Board of Governors is a former CEO of an information and media giant.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice appointed James C. ‘Jim’ Smith to the Marshall University Board of Governors this week.
Smith, who splits his time between Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., and Toronto, will serve a four-year term ending June 30, 2026, the university announced.
The former president and CEO of Thomson Reuters, Smith is a 1981 graduate of Marshall, which he attended on a football scholarship. He has been inducted into Marshall’s College of Business Hall of Fame and was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters.
Smith replaces H. Toney Stroud, who resigned from the board in June to become the university’s chief legal officer.
“Marshall University changed my life, just as it has countless others,” Smith said in a release. “I couldn’t be more honored to have this opportunity to help us keep doing that for future generations.”
Board of Governors Chairman Patrick Farrell said, “We are thrilled to have Jim Smith join the board. His inspiring background in business and media, as well as his global experience, will be invaluable to our team. I anticipate his strategic insights will be key to helping our university navigate the changing higher education landscape and setting a course for continued success and growth.”
According to Marshall, Smith spent more than three decades with the Thomson organization, starting in a newsroom and ending as president and CEO from 2012-20. He currently chairs the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a London-based charity focused on media freedom, the rule of law and access to justice.
Smith was managing editor of The Charleston Daily Mail when it was acquired by Thomson Newspapers in 1987.
Smith also serves on the board of directors at Pfizer in New York, where he chairs the compensation committee, and the board of trustees at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
He and his wife Pam Kushmerick have three adult sons.
Smith is scheduled to be sworn in at the next Board of Governors meeting on Aug. 9.