Dr. Travis C. Smith took over as Alabama State's Faculty Athletic Represeentative in 2025.
Smith is a proud native of LaFayette, AL, and an alumnus of Alabama State University. In 2020, he earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in Higher Education at Clemson University. As a critical educator, he focuses on inquiry, practice, and pedagogy that helps disrupt oppressive systems to support racially minoritized students. His research agenda sits at the intersection of race, gender, and class at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as well as the experiences of Black graduate students at PWIs. Some of his previous work utilizes a variety of qualitative methodological approaches such as phenomenology, photo-elicitation, photo voice, ethnography, and critical participatory action research. Travis’ work can be found in several peer-reviewed journals across the field. To date, Dr. Smith boasts an impressive record that includes 16 publications, 34 national conference proceedings, over 55 regional conference proceedings and workshops, and over $300,000 in educational research and outreach grants.
In 2011, he founded Unite Inc., a nonprofit that helps connect high school students to HBCUs and HBCU students to opportunities. Unite has assisted its high school seniors in accumulating over $40.2 million in scholarships. They have been accepted to over 750 universities across the nation. Dr. Tee is also a proven fundraiser and has raised over $2.5 million for the organization since 2015. But he didn’t stop there; Dr. Smith has led fundraising alumni efforts for the Office of Alumni Relations at Alabama State University, bringing in over $448,000 since 2021.
Travis has received multiple accolades and awards, such as two City of Lafayette Proclamations, Mentor of the Year by 100 Black Men of America, a UCEA Jackson Scholar Award, an SREB Doctoral Scholar Fellowship, named a member of the 50 under 50 at Alabama State University, the 2018 Clemson College of Education Award of Excellence in Service Outreach, and the 2018 Alabama State University Achievement Award, named citizen of the year by the Kappa Gamma Gamma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi, 2021 UF Black History Month Trailblazer, named an honorary member of Chi Sigma Alpha, and 2024 outstanding faculty for outreach award at Auburn University.
