Kansas City Kansas Community College

Some jobs are made to order – a “win-win” relationship such as the one consummated by the uniting of Regina Smith and Kansas City Kansas Community College.

For KCKCC, it got one of its most versatile employees for 19 years. For Smith, it was both an Associates and Bachelor’s degrees for herself and an AA for her husband.

“Jean Walker pushed me to take classes,” remembers Smith, a Piper area resident. “She said if I took one class I would be hooked and I was. Thanks to Jean, I received my Associate in Arts degree in May 1994 and my Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Resource Management from Friends University in August 1996.” In addition, she convinced her husband of 34 years, Gary, to earn an Associate’s degree.

Hired as an administrative secretary in the Business/Professional Division in July of 1990, she spent just two months in that division before taking the position of Executive Secretary to Walker, who was the Dean of Continuing Education.

In March 1993, Smith became Executive Secretary to Jerry Reid, the Vice-President of Administrative and Student Services, a position she held for more than 5½ years. “One thing I will always remember from Jerry is he used to tell me when I was frustrated, ‘Can you change it? If not, don’t worry about it.’ Jerry was a great guy to work for but I needed something more challenging.”

Taking a pay cut, she moved to the Admissions/Records office processing transcripts in November 1998, again working for Jean Walker, who had been made Dean of Admissions/Records. By then, she was also in her second year of working part-time in the evenings in the Information Center.

“I enjoyed working in the evenings because you meet a whole different group of students,” says Smith. “The students in the evening are hard-working adults who are trying to better their lives and move up in their careers and I met some very nice people.”

For 11 years, Smith worked her full-time jobs from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and then worked the information center from 4:30-7:30 p.m. four days a week. “After 11 years of working from 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m., I decided it was time to spend more time with my 87-year-old mother, my three grandkids and my husband,” said Smith, who ended the part-time work last December.

Meanwhile, her full-time work included nearly two years as secretary in the Human Resource office and the final seven years back in Admissions/Records as Administrative Assistant to Dr. Denise McDowell, the Dean of Enrollment Management/Registrar. “I’ve grown a lot working for Dr. McDowell including learning not to take things so personal,” she says. “I’ve also become a stronger person and finally come to understand that life isn’t fair for all but life goes on and not to worry about something you can’t change because it only makes your life more complicated.”

A 1965 graduate of Washington High School who worked for the Greater Kansas City Credit Bureau, the Fairbanks-Morris Pump Division and USD 500 before joining KCKCC, Smith retired May 1 to spend more time with her mother; her husband, who is employed by Pepsi-Cola; and her three grandchildren. Oldest daughter, Stacey Bell of Topeka, has a son, Ryan, 4, and a daughter Reese, 1; while Melinda Dusil of Basehor has a 2-year-old daughter, Kayleigh, with a second child due in May.

“They (the grandchildren) are the joy of my life and I do want to spend more time with my mother, who is 87 and lives by herself,” says Smith. “But I won’t be able to just sit. I’ll continue to work part-time either at KCKCC or somewhere.”

Already trained in the College’s new Datatel WebAdvisor training and versed in so many areas of the College, she’s a treasure KCKCC probably won’t let get away.