Smith is Selected to Attend The State Executive Development Institute

About The State Executive Development Institute

D.I. Smith attended the State Executive Development Institute (SEDI) conducted by the John C. Stennis Institute of Governement, Mississippi State University, May 4-9, 2008.

The State Executive Development Institute (SEDI) is an annual educational workshop offered by the John C. Stennis Institute of Government. The SEDI is designed to prepare mid- to upper-level state and local government executives to be more effective leaders. A broad range of topics are presented by government officials, researchers, and instructors in order to provide participants a well-rounded and applicable curriculum. The SEDI curriculum includes management theory, organizational development concepts and techniques, administrative and applied management techniques, and a variety of other related and timely topics.

Held on the campus of Mississippi State University, SEDI brings many of the unique resources found on the university campus to the program. Mississippi State Personnel Board Certified Public Manager Program and participants may also receive three graduate-level hours in Public Policy Administration at Mississippi State University upon completion of the program.

A maximum of 30 participants are chosen to attend SEDI each year, based on applicants’ professional experience and responsibilities. Priority is given to Mississippi’s senior state and local officials.

D.I.'s Biography

DUTY HONOR COUNTRY!!!
I WAS A SOLDIER * I AM A SOLDIER * I WILL ALWAYS BE A SOLDIER

D.I. Smith
Colonel, U.S. Army-Ret

Colonel D.I. Smith, USA-Ret., served in the United States Army for thirty years in a variety of leadership and staff positions. During his tenure in the U.S. Army, his duties included personnel and administrative management, training and operations, financial management, resource management, and research and development. He has over 6 years command experience in Field Artillery and Aviation including combat in Vietnam and during Operation JUST CAUSE, the highly successful military operation to remove Manuel Noriega, the tyrannical dictator of the Republic of Panama. He completed his military career serving a 3-year tour as Inspector General, Mississippi National Guard. During his career in the Army, he received numerous awards and decorations including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the Air Medal. He has also earned Master Army Aviator wings, Senior Parachutist badge, and the coveted black and gold RANGER tab.

After completing his service to our country he has served as Chief Operations Officer of a new start up wireless technology company; and is currently serving the residents of the beautiful and unique Dinsmor subdivision, Ridgeland, MS, as the On-Site Property Manager.

He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, The U.S. Army War College, and has a B.S. degree in Business from the University of Southern Mississippi and an MBA from Troy State University.

He is a member of Military Officers Association of America, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, Army Aviation Association of America, Association of the U.S. Army, the Army War College Alumni Association, the American Legion, the Jackson Metro Cyclists, the Jackson Triathlon Club, and the Mississippi Track Club. He has also done extensive research, writing and speaking about programs affecting the military.

D. I. and his wife, Linda, are members of Highland Colony Baptist Church, Ridgeland, MS; where DI also serves as a Deacon.

He and Linda are originally from Sidon, MS, and currently reside in Ridgeland; and they have two daughters and six grandchildren.

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Madison County Herald - The Next Supervisor

Article published in the Madison County Herald, Tuesday, March 27, 2007, written by Lucy Weber; photo by Will Smith.

THE NEXT SUPERVISOR

D.I. Smith recalls the lessons he learned growing up in the Delta town of Sidon and watching his father, a Leflore County supervisor for eight years.

Probably one of the earliest lessons in ethics Smith said he ever received came on his family's farm when there was a bulldozer just sitting there. A local dealer had brought it out for his father to try.

"I asked my father 'Why aren't you using it?' He said, 'It's not right for me to be getting the benefit of it,'" Smith recalls his father saying. "'They brought it so I'd be indebted.'"

Now, decades later, Smith wants to follow the tradition of his father and his grandfather, also a Leflore supervisor. "I hope I can measure up to their standards," he said.

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