Communication Major

Dr. Marquita Smith joined the faculty of John Brown University in 2010. Before joining the institution, she was the city editor for The Virginian-Pilot in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She joined The Pilot as the local government editor in 2001. During that time, she also taught part-time at Hampton University and Norfolk State University.

In 2008, Dr. Smith took leave from The Pilot to complete a Knight International Journalism Fellowship in Liberia. During her year in West Africa, she created a judicial and justice reporting network to help journalists develop the skills needed to cover the post-war nation's poverty reduction efforts. Ghanaians elected a new president in 2008, and Dr. Smith was instrumental in creating several training models used by reporters and editors charged with covering the event. 

Beyond her teaching responsibilities in the communication department, Dr. Smith serves as Chair for the Division of Communications and Fine Arts. She oversees JBU’s bi-weekly newspaper, The Threefold Advocate, and the institution’s yearbook, the Nesher. She also chairs the university’s diversity committee and works tirelessly to promote diversity efforts both locally and globally.

Dr. Smith is a Tennessee native and enjoys being close to her family now that she is in Arkansas. She is committed to her students, her coworkers, and the institutional goals of JBU.