Chris Smith

Chris Smith is vice chancellor for Advancement at the University of Missouri, where she champions fundraising and alumni engagement, aligning philanthropic investment with the flagship institution’s priorities and stewarding the $1.6 billion endowment that empowers its land-grant mission. She leads the team of advancement professionals driving Mizzou into its next era of excellence through the bold ambition of Power the Roar, the institution’s historic $2 billion fundraising campaign inspiring alumni, friends and partners to connect their passion with the university’s global mission.

Smith joined Mizzou Advancement in 2018 as director of advancement for the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. She later served in leadership roles with the College of Education & Human Development before being named the university’s assistant vice chancellor for constituent units in 2023. In these roles, she built high-performing teams, strengthened alumni engagement and secured resources to advance academic excellence. Under her leadership, the division achieved the highest fundraising year in university history, expanding student opportunity, fueling groundbreaking research and accelerating long-term institutional growth.

Before Mizzou, Smith spent nearly a decade at Missouri Military Academy, where she held leadership roles, including vice president for enrollment management and marketing. She previously served in advancement roles with Stephens College and the Missouri 4-H Foundation, in addition to six years in marketing communications with an advertising agency. With a career spanning more than two decades of nonprofit fundraising leadership in higher education and health care, she is a trusted partner and collaborative leader, known for fostering relationships across campus, cultivating donor support and mentoring the next generation of advancement professionals. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Kent State University. She and her husband, Greg Smith, a longtime faculty member at William Woods University, live in Missouri with their two children.