秘密研究所

South Graduate Leads Mobile Innovation Team

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Posted on February 1, 2021

Thomas Becnel

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At the City of Mobile, Terrance Smith leads an Innovation Team that has drawn local praise and national attention.

Bloomberg CityLab named him one of seven innovators to watch. He appeared on the cover of Mobile Bay Magazine鈥檚 鈥�40 Under Forty鈥� issue. He was appointed to the Leadership Alabama Commission on Race and Equity.

Building that kind of reputation 鈥� and resume 鈥� leads to career opportunities. Last year, he was contacted about a government position in California.

鈥淚t sounded amazing, but I don鈥檛 know how things work in California,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 do know how things operate in Mobile.  And whatever I do here would have a tenfold impact, because of all the challenges we face.

鈥淵ou know, when my friends were going off to college, or different jobs, they all wanted to end up in Atlanta or Dallas.  As a housing project kid from Prichard, I wanted to go to Mobile. I wanted to have an impact in Mobile.鈥�

Growing up in the Bessemer housing development gives Smith a different perspective from the mayor鈥檚 suite on the 10th floor of City Hall in downtown Mobile. His government experience and state work has supporters asking when he might run for public office.

Smith has little political experience, but has developed a broad support group of friends and colleagues. The 37-year-old says his brand is networking and problem solving. He has a repertoire of autobiographical stories that mix life lessons with self-deprecating humor.

He and his mother, who became a nurse, started out in Prichard. She made sure he had opportunities and made the most of them. He became a student musician who got to perform with an Adams Middle School orchestra on a trip to New York City鈥檚 famous Carnegie Hall.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even know that was a big deal,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y wife was the one who told me. I鈥檓 like, 鈥楥arnegie Hall 鈥� I played there.鈥� She said, 鈥楴o, you didn鈥檛.鈥� I said, 鈥榊es, I did,鈥� and I had to get down the book to show her. She was like, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 amazing.鈥欌��

At the 秘密研究所, Smith studied everything from accounting to sociology, then learned he could save time with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. 鈥淚 jumped into that program and, there you have it, I was a graduate of South.鈥� Two years later, he earned a master鈥檚 degree in instructional design and development. 

Smith worked full-time while going to college, so he didn鈥檛 have many extracurricular activities. He enjoys telling the tale of his first job at a pet store. One of his duties, several times a day, was carrying bags of dog hair from the grooming station to the dumpster. None of the managers taking smoke breaks ever offered to help him.

鈥淚 vowed then that I would never do that when I became a leader,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o this day, with every team I鈥檝e ever led, I鈥檝e always made myself accessible, and never asked anyone to do anything I wouldn鈥檛 do myself.鈥�

After college, Smith worked for the Mobile Area Education Foundation, then did a pop-up project downtown, which led to his job with the city. The Innovation Team, originally funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, tackles complex problems such as housing blight. After three years of collaborating with municipal departments, business interests and community groups, Smith was named director.

On the Bloomberg team, he traded ideas with groups from cities across the country and around the world. He found himself along the cutting edge of civic innovation. It didn鈥檛 take long.

鈥淲ithin my second week, we went to a Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Convention in Memphis, and I realized there were teams from Toronto and Jerusalem,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 thinking, Oh, my gosh, these are the best of young government thinkers. This is a big deal. This is not just a Mobile deal.鈥�

Closer to home, the Leadership Alabama program has introduced him to people and programs across the state. Each week, he tries to meet someone new, especially if they鈥檙e not from his circle of business and politics.

After his mother died five years ago, Smith felt down during the holidays. He and his wife began a November tradition of having people over to share a pre-holiday dinner. The meal started with just six friends, but the guest list grew to 30, 60 and then more than 100 people.

He calls it Smithsgiving.

Smithsgiving?

鈥淪mithsgiving,鈥� he said, laughing. 鈥淟ike Thanksgiving.鈥�

Advisers and Mentors

Stimpson, who first hired Smith for the Innovation Team, remains ones of his biggest supporters.

鈥淭he City of Mobile is very fortunate to have someone with Terrance鈥檚 talents and drive,鈥� said the two-term Mobile mayor. 鈥淗e has a lot of interpersonal skills. He鈥檚 comfortable in every situation. He鈥檚 compatible with people from all walks of life. It doesn鈥檛 matter if he鈥檚 talking to a homeless person on the street or someone in a corporate boardroom.鈥�

Smith earned a reputation as a stickler for quality systems and orderly processes. He could listen to people, understand their motivations and respect their opinions. He could identify problems and suggest solutions that different groups of people found acceptable.

Stimpson hopes Smith will remain in Alabama and continue working for the people of Mobile.

鈥淚f Terrance wants a future as an elected official, it鈥檚 there for him, and he would do an excellent job,鈥� he said. 鈥淭iming has a lot to do with those decisions, but he has that opportunity, or he could have the opportunity to run nonprofits. He is successful and he will continue to be successful.鈥�

Dr. Joel Billingsley, an associate professor of Instructional Design at South, met Smith when he was in graduate school. She volunteered to become his advisor. She encouraged him to apply for an internship with Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood 鈥� another important mentor.

鈥淚 knew community engagement was important to him,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I鈥檝e been overjoyed and delighted at what he鈥檚 been able to accomplish and how he鈥檚 been able to help improve our community.鈥�

Billingsley believes Smith鈥檚 roots in Prichard are important. He鈥檚 humble and respectful. He enjoys listening to people and wants all voices to be heard.

鈥淧eople recognize authenticity and genuineness,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e has this relatability to people, a willingness to share, and really be courageous in saying things that others might not be comfortable in saying. In meetings about education, he would always advocate for students to be part of the conversation. In the community, he would always advocate for residents to be part of a conversation.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a genuine problem solver who has a heart for people. I鈥檓 grateful to know him and be part of his journey. There鈥檚 no telling where he鈥檚 going to have the greatest impact, but I know his work will continue.鈥�

Porch Views and Beach Dreams

Smith鈥檚 wife, Johnnice Edwards Smith, is director of human resources for a Baldwin County nursing home. They live in Magnolia Grove along the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. His son Ty鈥橳erious just started college.

He describes his mother, Cynthia Smith, as a single parent who set him on a path for success.  

鈥淪he believed in me more than anyone else,鈥� he said. 鈥淗er parenting style was very liberal, very open. She allowed you to make your own mistakes, go at your own pace, and have a full range of emotional experiences.鈥�

Smith grew up next to Interstate 65 in Prichard. It was a close-knit community of families who all knew one another. He still thinks about the second-grade teacher who taught him so much. He remembers the band director who insisted he learn the xylophone and other percussion instruments before picking up a snare drum.

Even as a boy, he was curious, willing to approach people and ask questions.

Smith remembers a nursing friend of his mom鈥檚 inviting them to a beach house in Gulf Shores. He got to talking with the owner, who explained that he had one house in Mobile and a second home along the shore. This was another world.

鈥淪o I asked him, 鈥榊ou think I could buy a house on the beach one day?鈥欌�� Smith said. 鈥淎nd he said, 鈥榊eah, I鈥檓 going to tell you how: Do your homework every day.鈥� I鈥檓 thinking to myself this guy鈥檚 lying to me, he鈥檚 hiding secrets, but I鈥檒l tell you what, that鈥檚 the one thing I remembered. I went back to that housing project and I did my homework on the porch every day.

鈥淵ou can imagine the scene, this porch next to the interstate, and I would do my homework wondering all the time, those people going up and down the highway, are they smart, are they rich, are they doctors or lawyers, and were they thinking about me the same way I鈥檓 thinking about them? These were all the things that went through my mind from about 9 to 17 years old.

鈥淲hat I realized later on was that it was never really about the beach house. It was about relentless preparation. Doing my homework every day was how I ended up getting a scholarship to go to college in the first place. I was able to avoid all the negative stuff going on around me. I was able to surround myself with people to help me accomplish my goals.鈥�

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