Smith to deliver Commencement 2020 address

Brad D. Smith, executive chairman of Intuit’s board of directors, will deliver the virtual keynote address for the University of Virginia’s College at Wise 2020 Commencement exercises.

Smith has visited campus as the College worked with Sykes Intuit when the company began operations in Wise County a few years ago.

“Brad has rural West Virginia roots and brings a forward looking perspective that will be inspirational for our graduates,” Chancellor Donna Henry said.

Smith served as Intuit’s president and chief executive officer from 2008 to 2019, where he successfully led the company’s transformation from a desktop software company to a global, cloud-based product and platform company. He has been a board member since January 2008 and became chairman of the board of directors in January 2016.

Before being named CEO, Smith was senior vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Small Business Division, which included the portfolio of QuickBooks, Quicken and Payroll products. Previously he led the company’s Consumer Tax Group, which produces TurboTax, the nation’s leading consumer tax preparation software. He began his Intuit career leading the Accountant Central community, cultivating relationships and delivering services for accounting professionals.

Smith earned his master’s degree in management from Aquinas College in Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Marshall University in West Virginia. Smith is on the board of directors at SurveyMonkey and serves as chairman of the Nordstrom board of directors.