She is a wife, mother, attorney, philanthropist and founder of Huntington’s first ever Women Warriors Summit. Meet Marshall University First Lady Alys Smith, who has been fighting for social change since she was 9 years old.
By Kaylin Jorge
HQ 123 | AUTUMN 2023
Decades before Marshall University First Lady Alys Smith spearheaded the Women Warriors Summit, she was already out fighting for women’s equality in the field — a T-ball field. Alys was only 9 years old when she and her twin sister wanted to play T-ball, but there was one big problem: girls weren’t allowed on the team.
“We could hit the ball better; we could throw better,” Alys said.
But this case of injustice in the youth sports arena wasn’t going down without a fight.
“My sister and I were always fighting the system, and my mom was willing to fight with us every time,” Alys said. “Even though we fought, the end result was the same — we weren’t allowed to play even though we were better athletes. It just didn’t sit well with us.”
It’s that drive from the beginning — her constant push for gender equality — that led Alys to the many roles she has today. In addition to being first lady of Marshall University, Alys is a mother to two daughters, an attorney, a staunch supporter of women in all walks of life, a social justice advocate, a prolific giver, a promoter of education and an outdoor enthusiast.
The passion Alys brings to her advocacy efforts is the same breath of fresh air she brings to Huntington. She’s only been in the Jewel City a little more than a year and is already having a major impact, like bringing a world-class women’s summit to downtown.
At the recent Women Warriors Summit held at the Mountain Health Arena on Oct. 6, Alys and her team of experts focused on “courageous conversations” that empower women with “the power to say no, and the courage to say yes.”
With music playing and spotlights rolling, Alys stepped onstage and paused to reflect as she took in the sold-out crowd of 750 women warriors that she brought together, all to celebrate the women of West Virginia.
The event featured a slate of dynamic speakers, including Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman, award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien, former CEOs, businesswomen, motivational speakers and others, leaving guests with trusted advice and skills to use in their everyday lives.
“This summit is a testament to the unstoppable force that we become when we find our inner strength and have courageous conversations,” Alys said. “It feels like a dream come true. The energy in this room from the moment people arrived never stopped; if anything it became a crescendo.”
In addition to the messages shared on the main stage, guests received educational training and participated in interactive breakout sessions, where they learned from industry experts and collaborated with their peers. Catering from local eateries throughout the day further showcased the tightknit Huntington community. Alys said she hopes the summit has a lasting impact.
“We threw a pebble out in the pond today,” she said. “Let’s see where those ripple effects will take us.”
She left the audience with a charge to move forward.
“We can have our own courageous conversations movement right here in Huntington,” she told the crowd. “Use this space as a stage for your own voice. Don’t hold back anymore. Go out in the world and be the warriors you were born to be.”
Although being at the helm of countless events comes with the job title, Alys is much more than just the active first lady of Marshall University. She is first and foremost a mother to two daughters — Devon, a recruiting coordinator at a tech company in northern California who also has her own podcast, It’s All Magic, and Payton, who followed her parents to Huntington and is working as a prosecuting attorney in Cabell County. Alys beams with pride talking about her daughters and said she has handed down lessons from her own mother, whom she describes as a “pillar of strength.”
“I always taught my daughters that you stand up for yourself,” she said. “And if you don’t want to be a target, you’ve got to hold yourself with confidence, because people with confidence are often less targeted than others. It doesn’t always hold true, but I think that’s very important for women.”
The success of the daughters of Alys and Brad, president of Marshall University, makes all the more sense seeing as how both parents live life purposefully, fight for change passionately and never shy away from a challenge.
One look at Alys’ impressive resume shows how hard she is working to make a positive difference. She’s the co-founder of a nonprofit giving back to Appalachia, serves on several boards and represents foster kids in abuse and neglect cases as a licensed attorney in West Virginia. Alys earned her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University in 1983 and a J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law in 1986, a degree she hoped would help her “lead a life of purpose.”
From a young age, the Akron, Ohio, native has been a champion of empowerment, especially in the gender rights arena — a passion fueled first by her childhood.
Growing up as the daughter of second-generation immigrants (her paternal grandfather from what is now Ukraine and her paternal grandmother from Poland), Alys had a very traditional upbringing.
“My mom didn’t work after she had us,” Alys said, referring to her identical twin sister and younger brother. “She had planned to be a doctor but was denied entry to medical school because of her gender, so that was always a big issue for us.”
Things have certainly changed since then, and now Alys’ sister is a physician in Ohio, the career that their mother could only dream of but never accomplish. Growing up with a mother who dreamt of a freer future for women, Alys said she and her sister were naturally “warriors for change.”
Throughout her career, including working for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and being a licensed attorney in multiple states, Alys said she has pushed for women’s rights in the face of gender inequality and instances of sexual harassment.
“I ended up becoming a trial lawyer, no big surprise, always fighting for gender equality, and hoping to make a difference,” Alys said. “Brad always jokes, ‘You’re a warrior looking for a war,’ because wherever he sees something that seems just fine, I’ll say, ‘Wait a minute — what about the women?’”
In addition to her successful professional career, Alys has let her heart lead the way, launching philanthropic efforts with her husband such as the Wing 2 Wing Foundation, a program that encourages entrepreneurship in rural West Virginia.
“We’ve tried for years to even the playing field in Appalachia for all people, the underserved, the overlooked,” she said. “The Wing 2 Wing Foundation is all about education, because that is the great equalizer. We want to support those entrepreneurs who are trying to do good things for the Appalachian region.”
The couple also founded Ascend West Virginia — a program that pays remote workers $12,000 to move to the Mountain State for two years. The hope is that they fall in love with all the state has to offer and choose to stay. To date the program has been a tremendous success.
“The Ascenders are some of the greatest ambassadors for West Virginia that you’ll ever meet,” Alys said. “We have a 98% retention rate. It’s going well, and we’re going to continue moving forward with it.”
Supporting West Virginia — and especially Marshall — has been a longtime passion for Brad and Alys. They donated more than $35 million to Marshall and $25 million to WVU before they even settled in the Mountain State. Despite their passion for the Appalachian region, however, it took decades of a prolific career elsewhere to finally lead them back to the land that held their hearts.
“Brad and I had moved seven times in 12 years for jobs across the country,” Alys said. “I had to keep taking bar exams. I have been admitted to the bars in four states now, including West Virginia.”
After all of those moves, the couple landed in California when Brad accepted a position at Intuit in 2003. When he was named CEO of the company in 2008, Alys took a step back from her professional career to focus on family.
“It was just a time for me to stay home and take care of my two daughters, who had moved enough and needed a stabilizing force in their lives,” Alys said. “I did a lot of volunteering in schools. I was a mentor for young, at-risk women; I was a court-appointed special advocate. I kept really busy. I was very involved with my girls, and I have absolutely no regrets about that. My girls have truly turned out to be vibrant, brilliant, strong women who can stand on their own.”
For 18 years, Alys said, the family built a nice, comfortable life in California. But when a door opened at Marshall with an opportunity for Brad to be president of his alma mater, it gave the couple a chance to take the next step in helping West Virginia. By putting boots on the ground, Alys said, they could help lead the transformation taking place at the university, in Huntington and across the state.
“It’s worth the risk; we can do big things,” she said of the move. “As first lady, I have a platform to make a difference in the lives of others. In particular, I have more access and more opportunities to find ways to help women here in Appalachia.”
Now that she’s here, in addition to her work as an attorney, Alys is very involved in the community and on Marshall’s campus, particularly in areas that empower women.
“I think the women here are one of West Virginia’s greatest assets. I have met women from all walks of life, and they’re all doers. They are so community-focused on improving Marshall University, Huntington and the state.”
At Marshall, Alys helped in the search for a Title IX director and established a women’s symposium alongside Dr. Hilary Brewster, associate professor of English and director of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program at the university.
“Alys believes very much that women have so much to offer in terms of community building, professional success and mentors,” Brewster said. “She is really big on mentorship, which is one of the areas we focus on at the symposium.”
With every event, every speech, every woman and child she helps, Alys said she believes her message is getting stronger and that a couple, working together, can help change the way the community sees leadership at Marshall.
“Brad and I are so happy to be here, and we’re working together to help move the needle further at Marshall,” Alys said. “I think today we’re living the most meaningful, purposeful life we’ve ever lived.”
The dynamic energy the couple has brought to the university also is building momentum for progress and growth in Huntington. Alys and Brad have breathed new life into the stately president’s home overlooking Ritter Park, where they have hosted numerous events.
Of all the events in which the first lady has been involved, none has topped the Women Warriors Summit in providing a blueprint for change. Participants received a real morale booster and the supportive message that they are the difference-makers who hold the keys to the area’s future success.
Through it all, Alys remembers the fuel instilled in her at a young age when she couldn’t join a sports team because she “played like a girl.”
“We’ve known for years when someone says, ‘Oh, you throw like a girl,’ they’re not giving you a compliment,” she said. “It’s a huge stigma.”
Now, when someone tells her she “plays like a girl,” Alys answers, “‘Hell yes, I do.’”
