Following a nationwide search, UTC alumna Dr. Christine Benz Smith has been selected as the Director of the UTC School of Nursing. She has served in several capacities at UTC since she joined the UTC School of Nursing (SON) faculty in 1997.
Dr. Christine Benz Smith
Smith was appointed Interim Director of UTC SON in January 2013 after serving as Associate Director of the school and Coordinator of the Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration. She holds the rank of UC Foundation Associate Professor. She serves as Family Nurse Practitioner at the Student Health Services on campus.
“Dr. Smith has been an integral part of the expansion and success of the School of Nursing at UTC for the past 12 years. Her understanding of the needs of the programs and the community they serve were a key factor in her selection and have helped poise the School of Nursing for ever greater accomplishments for the future,” said Dr. Valerie C. Rutledge, Dean of the UTC College of Health, Education and Professional Studies.
On April 2, Smith will be honored by Girls Inc. as a female role model during the tenth anniversary of the UnBought and UnBossed Awards. In 2012, Smith received the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Chattanooga Keystone Award.
Smith offers her expertise in education and health care by serving as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Girls’ Preparatory School, as a member of the Board of Directors for Hospice of Chattanooga, and as a trustee for the Weldon F. Osborn Foundation. She works with many local health care facilities and providers, strengthening valuable partnerships for the UTC School of Nursing in the community.
She earned the Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University. She received the Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration from UTC and the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing was awarded by East Tennessee State University.
I have known Chris Benz Smith since her High School Days and have followed her career throughout the years. Dr. Smith has has an abundance of drive and leadership abilities. She delivers on her goals. UTC has chosen wisely.
I commend UTC for taking the step of promoting from within. As I contemplate my estate plans, I will favorably take UTC into consideration.
Congratulations, well deserved.