Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has re-appointed Anne Arundel Community College President Martha A. Smith, Ph.D., to the Maryland Education Council and as Maryland representative on the Education Commission of the States, which provides a national forum for public policy on educational issues. Her term ends July 2009.

            "I am honored to receive the re-appointment and excited about the opportunity to continue to share the state's successes and represent Maryland's interests as well as to bring back concepts from other states that Maryland institutions might adapt to their programs," Smith said.

            She has been a member of the commission's Postsecondary Education and Workforce Development Institute Advisory Committee since January 2006.

            Smith, who has served as AACC president since August 1994, has long been recognized for her leadership, vision and commitment to students and the community. In recent years, she also has been gaining prominence nationally. In February, she was named to a three-year term on the board of directors of the American Council on Education, which represents 1,600 college and university presidents and provides leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues. Since November 2004, she also has been a member of the board of directors of the 800-member international League for Innovation in the Community College, which works with numerous organizations, foundations and government agencies to bring new ideas to community colleges. She is a longtime member of the national Institute for Community College Development board.

            More locally, Smith serves on the Maryland Governor's Work Force Investment Board, on the executive committee of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges, on the board of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce and on the board for the Greater Baltimore Committee.

            The National Council for Marketing and Public Relations named her the 2006 District Pacesetter of the Year. She also received the Anne Arundel County Tech Council's 2005 Good apple Award in 2005 and one of the Daily Record's Power Elite in 2003.