By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com
Though her closet is now filled with more items featuring purple and white, former Illini basketball standout Kate (Riley) Smith proudly treasures her undergraduate education at the University of Illinois as a primary reason for the success she’s enjoyed during her prestigious career in business and higher education.
Today, Smith’s title at Northwestern University is Assistant Athletic Director for Career Enhancement and Employer Relations. She directs the Wildcat athletic department’s NU for Life Program.
The Edina, Minn. native lettered twice as a forward for Coach Laura Golden (1989 and ’90) and twice for Coach Kathy Lindsey (1991 and ’92). She also shined in the classroom. So exceptional was Smith as a business administration major that Illini administrators named her as the school’s female honoree of the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor in 1992.
That award is one of the most precious jewels on Smith’s glittering resume.
“I was recently part of an awards ceremony at Northwestern,” she said. “I realized there are only 28 student-athletes out of 9,000 in the Big Ten that win the Conference Medal of Honor. Thirty years ago, it would have been only 20. The prestige of this award is such an honor and one that I certainly did not expect or anticipate. I had no idea that I was being considered. It’s something I will forever be grateful. I had always prided myself in being both a student and an athlete. I had always been a very dedicated student, so to be acknowledged among all of your peers … to this day there’s a little bit of ‘how did that happen?'”
Upon her graduation from UI’s College of Business, Smith was focused on developing a career in corporate marketing. Following a brief period in commercial real estate, she ultimately worked for some of America’s consumer biggest brands.
“My dream was to work in marketing at the intersection of sports on the consumer side of business,” she said. “Marketing is about influencing attitudes and opinions about brands, and I was intrigued by that.”
Smith opted to pursue her MBA at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and it proved to be a real game-changer for her, accelerating her path in marketing. During a 14-year career with Proctor & Gamble, General Mills and PepsiCo, she eventually advanced to become senior director of marketing for Gatorade.
A decade ago, Smith pivoted in her career and returned to Northwestern to become the Kellogg School’s Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid. She remained in that position until September of 2021.
Coming Full Circle
With the emergence of COVID and after 10 years of working in admissions, Smith began to imagine a career that eventually brough her full circle.
Last February, NU Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Dr. Derrick Gragg brought Smith on board to join his Wildcat athletics staff.
“In my own journey, I have so appreciated all of those people who helped develop me and my career path,” she said. “Just as all the schools in the Big Ten have such great cultures and communities, the culture at Northwestern is fantastic as well. I most enjoy sitting with the student-athletes and talking about their goals, their dreams and helping them map out their potential career. It’s kind of full circle, being back at a Big Ten institution.”
In April of 2017, on the 25th anniversary of Smith winning the Big Ten Medal of Honor, she returned to Champaign-Urbana to speak to Illinois’ student-athletes at the OSKEE Awards.
“As I was writing my speech, I wanted to say thank you to some of the people who had shaped and influenced who I was,” she said. “That brought me to Jenny Arnold, a 12-year-old girl who was my super fan during my playing days as an Illini. For some reason, she decided that I was her favorite. She made signs and celebrated me. I got to know her and, for at least a decade, ultimately became a pen pal of her after I graduated. When Jenny became a young woman, we fell out of touch. As I wrote the speech, I was determined to find her and see what she was doing. I discovered that she had passed away from breast cancer. When Jenny developed terminal cancer, she wrote a book that was titled ‘Learning to Live Legendary.’ What her message was for me was doing whatever you want to do in life and do it in a way where you make an impact and help and support others.
“To me, legendary doesn’t mean infamy,” Smith continued. “It means that you’re doing something that has a positive impact on the world around you. As I was giving the speech that night, one of the student-athletes in the audience recognized that Jenny’s sister was her Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ advisor. Her sister (Sara Arnold Hurst) and I eventually had an hour-long conversation about Jenny and her adult life, becoming a mom and what it was like to lose her. It was just an amazing moment to have that reconnection through her sister. Jenny had chosen me as someone that she admired.”
“This is where sports provide you with experiences, connections and opportunities that I don’t think come organically in other ways,” Smith said.
Education is Everything
“To me, education is everything,” she said. “Obviously, I pursued my master’s and I’ve been able to meet and work with so many people who have pursued master’s degrees across different fields of study. My former dean had a great quote that said ‘Who said that 21 is when you should stop learning?’ Education is crucial in terms of opening your mind and teaching you critical thinking skills in whatever you study. What you study aligns more with your interest areas but the process of learning and expanding your understanding of the world around you are so important.
“You’ll not compete as an elite athlete for your entire life,” Smith continued. “At some point you’ll pivot in another direction. What you invest in your education helps prepare you for that moment. In terms of living your life legendary, how can you apply the skills and talents that you possess and give back to the world and community around you?
“I have experienced the value of my education both at the University of Illinois and at Northwestern,” she said, “and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
