pat smith
by evie sandlin white

Back in 1984 when Pat Smith was asked to do a little part-time accounting for a fledgling foundation, she never dreamed that 20 years later she would be at its helm, the President of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, and responsible for managing an organization with $125 million in charitable assets.

As we sit down for a chat in her office, surrounded by her orchids, this striking woman with cornflower-blue eyes and short, silver-blond hair exudes a quiet confidence and sophistication. She has a way of putting you at ease as she speaks with remarkable candor and warmth. Smith has come a long way from being the shy young woman who had to push herself to meet new people and make a place for herself in the male-dominated business world that was Asheville in the 1970s. Smith was, in fact, the only practicing female CPA in town and she recalls, “It was a different time then, and it was hard for me to find myself in that role.”

Smith may have been shy, but she was determined to pursue her own career. As her husband Phil started his law career, Smith began learning the ropes from Glenn Snipes, a lawyer/accountant who took a hands-on approach to working with his many clients across the mountains. When \along and began meeting the people of Western North Carolina. “When we visited clients in those communities we would stay for lunch and spend the day talking to people at the hardware store, or the lumberyard. I loved that aspect of stopping just to say hello to people, and I learned that being a professional advisor was more than just handling a person’s affairs; it was being there for them whatever they needed. You were there as a friend.”

In the mid 70s, Smith decided to put her career on hold for the arrival of her daughter Erin and her son Jeff. She relished the years of staying at home with them and volunteering with organizations such as MANNA FoodBank and the Junior League, learning valuable skills about the inner-workings of nonprofits. When the time came for the children to start preschool, she found herself venturing out into the professional arena again, starting with a couple of part-time accounting jobs.

She received a request in 1984 to help get the financials in order for a small, volunteer-run foundation with assets of around $500,000. Smith worked closely with The Community Foundation’s founder Ray Hust, and a board of directors that was committed to growing a permanent resource for the people of the mountain region. Smith found something unique working at The Community Foundation. “I loved the numbers and accounting aspects of the work, but I was more intrigued by the people who were creating funds at the Foundation. They had accumulated this wealth over the course of their lives and now they were deciding how to use it. I enjoyed getting to know them and their interests, and helping them determine the best way to share their resources with the community.”

In the beginning, it was slow going for The Community Foundation. Smith says, “With so few resources, the Foundation was only making a few thousand dollars in grants. Community foundations were a new concept, and it was hard for people to understand what the long-term impact could be.”
An outside consultant advised the Foundation’s Board that in order to grow, they must invest in a full-time paid executive director. Board Chair Charlie McCullough was determined to lead the Foundation forward and encouraged board members to make personal contributions to fund the first year’s salary for the new director. An exhaustive search was conducted, and in 1990 Pat Smith was offered the job. “It was a surprise,” says Smith. “The process was highly competitive, and I was just one of the applicants.”

In September of that year, Smith began along side the newly elected Board Chair Mimi Cecil and things started coming together for the Foundation. Assets had just exceeded $5 million, a milestone widely believed to be the taking off point for growth. Smith and Cecil, influenced by leaders in the field, adopted a new approach to help spur growth - creating affiliate funds throughout the region that would serve individual communities with local leadership to drive development. Soon, Smith and Cecil were driving the curvy mountain roads together, using Cecil’s contacts and spreading the philanthropic gospel. Affiliates of The Community Foundation began popping up in Cashiers, McDowell County, and Haywood County.

“People in these communities seemed to know right away what we were trying to accomplish,” said Mimi Cecil. “Pat worked well with them because she’s factual and knows what she’s doing. People instinctively have confidence in her and her abilities.”

One day in 1991 a quiet and thoughtful man named Julian Price walked into the Foundation offices and wanted to talk about his vision for the future. Price started the multi-million dollar Dogwood Fund with the Foundation, providing grants to launch Pack Place, Project STEAM and some of the first support for the Affordable Housing Coalition and RiverLink. The Fund would shape the Foundation’s future grant process and allowed for the hiring of the first grant program director, Kim McGuire.

McGuire worked with Smith for 12 years and saw the Foundation flourish under her leadership. “Pat made a practice of constantly developing her knowledge and skills and view of the world around her. She grew because she had the quality that so many smart women have - she was never afraid to ask for help. Pat went to the top people in the field of philanthropy, around the nation, and made them her mentors. She also listened and learned from all different kinds of people who crossed her professional path. And then, as a good leader does, Pat took all her learnings and adapted and shaped them into her own brand of organizational success that was a perfect fit, right here for our community.”

In combination with the credibility the Dogwood Fund gave the Foundation, and the promotional efforts spearheaded by McGuire, Smith focused new attention on developing partnerships with professional advisors - attorneys, accountants and financial planners - whose clients could use The Community Foundation to build a charitable component into their estate planning. With the help of attorney Dick Wood, an annual continuing education seminar was established and was well-received thanks to featured speaker Mark Edwards, an attorney and expert in estate planning who graciously volunteered his services for the good of the Foundation.

More people were discovering The Community Foundation and creating charitable funds to support their favorite nonprofits, charitable causes and scholarships. The 1990s were a significant time of growth for the Foundation, and as assets climbed, staff was added to accommodate new grant programs and donors’ increasing needs. “Our donors put their faith in us, and they have high expectations. That’s what pushes us to provide the highest level of professionalism and expertise,” said Smith.

One such donor was Frances Farthing. When she ended her career as an educator, Farthing clearly understood how important it was to encourage kids to stay in school and finish their education, but knew resources to keep students interested were limited. Her dream was to start a grant program for rural teachers and create hands-on learning projects that would keep students engaged and help combat drop out rates. “Frances applied the same professionalism she used throughout her career to also carry out her philanthropic giving.” Smith laughs, “She even ‘tried us out’- giving us first a small amount of money to see what could be done with it before she contributed the rest of her savings.”

A program was designed to provide grants to teachers in the most rural schools in the WNC region, and Farthing was thrilled with the results. Smith says, “Frances returned to the Foundation and said, ‘I believe in you.’ It is truly a humbling experience when a person walks in the door with their life’s savings and entrusts it to you.”

As the President of The Community Foundation, Pat Smith may have a head for numbers, but her heart belongs squarely to her family. So how did this working mom find time to balance career and family? Her philosophy is simple: “I make it all fit in.” It helps of course that Smith doesn’t require a lot of sleep and she admits to often running late. “The kids used to joke that we were the only family that ate dinner at eight o’clock at night, but I made sure we all spent time together - and so what if dinner was a little late. Phil and I are both workaholics, but we always make the most of evenings, weekends and vacations together.”

Smith also loves to indulge her passions: traveling, gardening (with a special affinity for growing orchids), cooking and entertaining. But the joy that she receives in her work with the Foundation is undeniable.
“I’m proud that this Foundation has been built despite the fact that our rural region has limited resources. It is a testament to our Board, and the generous people who want to help improve life in Western North Carolina. They all give so that there will always be a growing charitable resource for our mountain region.”

Although Smith is reluctant to take any personal credit for the Foundation’s success, others in the community recognize the value of her leadership. “Pat has that golden combination of confidence, competence and complete humility,” says McGuire. “She had it when the Foundation was a fledgling start-up and now when she oversees a $125 million-plus organization. I believe it is that genuine modesty that endears Pat to so many people. They see her broad abilities and appreciate her all the more because she leaves her ego at the door.”

Indeed the growth of The Community Foundation has been remarkable, but even more important is the support that has been provided to organizations across Western North Carolina. Since its inception, CFWNC has distributed more than $70 million to fund hundreds of different programs - everything from promoting the arts, combating domestic violence, and protecting the environment to providing scholarships to our region’s most promising students.
Celeste Collins, the executive director of Consumer Credit Counseling Service, has used grants from the Foundation to expand her organization’s services in Buncombe County and beyond. “The growth of The Community Foundation means there is more money available for nonprofits in Western North Carolina to develop their programs and find new ways to serve the people of our region. As one of the few local funders in the region that support is critical.”
Collins added, “I personally consider Pat a role model. She has won the respect of the business leaders in Western North Carolina and she’s a woman!”

So what’s next for the Foundation and Pat Smith? A grant from the Kellogg Foundation is supporting the launch of new initiatives designed to engage more women in philanthropy. A group called “Women for Women” is joining together to learn about the issues affecting women in our mountains, combining their resources and making grants to impact those critical areas. “We know that women constitute a disproportionate number of those living in poverty in the United States and that women have not achieved full economic equality in spite of significant economic progress,” says Smith. “The good news is that 51 percent of the wealth in this country is in the name of women. By bringing women together we know we can contribute to addressing the great needs of women and girls across our mountain communities.”

The public can learn about these efforts at the first annual “Power of the Purse” Luncheon to be held in Asheville on June 22 or by calling (828) 254-4960 or visiting cfwnc.org.

Fast Facts on Pat Smith:

• President of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and an Asheville native
• Education: UNC-Greensboro
• Family: Married to attorney Phil Smith since 1969. Two grown children: daughter Erin and son Jeff.
• Currently serves on the boards of: Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Givens Estates United Methodist Retirement Community and the North Carolina Association of Community Foundations (past president). She is a steering committee member of the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers, the Kellogg Foundation’s Discovery Alliance and the North Carolina Collaborative for Hispanics in Philanthropy. She also serves as a Director of Asheville Savings Bank.
About The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
• Established in 1978, now the third largest community foundation in NC, and 59th largest in the nation
• Located in downtown Asheville, serves the 18-county mountain region
• Made up of more than 650 individual funds, each dedicated to a specific charitable purpose as determined by the person who created it.
• Assets: $125 million. More than $70 distributed in grants since 1978.
• To learn more, visit cfwnc.org or call (828) 254-4960.

Evie Sandlin White is a WNC native and former editor of a woman’s magazine in Denver, Colorado Woman News. She currently lives in Asheville and is the communications director for The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.