MC human resources director’s exceptional service lands coveted Doc Quick outstanding staff award

Donna Smith, MC director of human resources, received the Van "Doc" Quick Award during MC’s 2025 Faculty and Staff Retirement and Service Year Celebration.

More than 500 employees help make Mississippi College a beacon of exceptional Christian education, and Donna Smith is proud to say that she knows every single one of them.

“Working with our employees is an absolute joy,” said Smith, MC’s director of human resources. “I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work, to learn and to grow alongside such inspiring and dedicated colleagues.

“Their support, collaboration and shared commitment to the MC mission have made my service extra meaningful and deeply fulfilling.”

The sentiment runs both ways. Longtime colleagues like Bill Townsend, MC vice president and general counsel, cherish Smith’s devotion to the university and its employees.

“Donna loves MC’s people and works hard to make MC a great place to work and get an education,” Townsend said. “She is knowledgeable, hard-working, professional, polite, has a great sense of humor and puts others at ease.

“She understands our faith-based culture and helps promote that culture.”

For providing exceptional service with a Christ-like attitude, Smith received the university’s Van “Doc” Quick Award during MC’s 2025 Faculty and Staff Retirement and Service Year Celebration on May 1.

The award is named in honor of one of MC’s most beloved and revered administrators and friend to many on and off the Clinton campus. Quick devoted more than three decades to MC as a leader in student and alumni affairs and remained an icon in the University’s family for more than half a century.

Although she never got to work with Quick, Smith said she did have the privilege of knowing him.

“Doc Quick was known for his friendly and approachable nature, and those who were mentored by him adored him,” Smith said. “He impacted so many lives, and to receive this award is truly humbling. I am so very honored.”

A native of Tippo, Mississippi, Smith attended the University of Mississippi but earned her Bachelor’s of Professional Accountancy from Mississippi State University. She served as an internal auditor for Mississippi Power Company before entering the world of academia as an admissions counselor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.

“I love learning and I value higher education,” Smith said.

She had stints as a Christian Life Center director and receptionist at First United Methodist Church in Tupelo and was serving as an administrative assistant for communications and church and parent relations at Millsaps College when she was recruited to join the staff at Mississippi College.

“I am honored to say that Dr. Lloyd Roberts interviewed and hired me when he was interim president,” she said. “Being brought to the MC family under his leadership is something I have always valued.

“I had no idea that MC is where I would spend my career, but I have loved my time here.”

Roberts called Smith an “outstanding employee” who was responsible for several operational enhancements for the University.

“She modernized the handling of human resources activities and she improved the online accessibility to employee retirement accounts,” Roberts said. “She accomplished these improvements while creating an improved office environment that better served all MC employees.

“She is a special person.”

Smith initially joined the Mississippi College staff in June 2002 as a payroll clerk and, after a hiatus as an HR officer at a local bank, returned to MC in July 2005 as director of residence life. She soon became a payroll supervisor; three years later, she was named director of human resources.

Smith credits Donna Lewis, chief financial officer emeritus, for helping her advance in the organization.

“I learned so much from her leadership,” Smith said. “Her mentorship played a meaningful role in shaping my professional career at MC.”

“Donna is one of the few employees who is both really good working with details and equally good working with people,” Lewis said. “I encouraged Donna to expand her financial skills and work with me in finance. However, I always knew she had a heart for people and wanted to move into human resources. Her smiling face is usually the first thing a new employee knows of MC.

“Seeing her friendliness and easy interaction with others always made me want to try and emulate that behavior myself.”

“Human Resources can sometimes feel like the Principal’s Office,” Smith said. “I want employees to feel safe and appreciated and to know that my door is always open to them.”