The situation was dire for Steve Smith. The 1980 Andress High School graduate was two years into a marriage with a retail job at a national department store in El Paso. His plan was to rise through its management ranks.
The chain closed.
Because of that setback, Smith, a tinkerer interested in personal computers, enrolled at El Paso Community College for some general education courses. He transferred to the University of Texas at El Paso and earned a bachelor’s in computer information systems in 1988.
A few government contractors hired the recent graduate for programming projects. The money was lucrative, but the jobs were temporary. Wanting something more permanent, he applied in 1989 for a job to teach programming at EPCC’s Transmountain Campus.
Smith laughed as he recalled how the campus’ computer programming coordinator offered him the job as an adjunct professor on the spot on a Friday. The coordinator handed him a syllabus and told him he started the following Monday.
“The rest is history,” said Smith, who officially retires Saturday after 37 years at EPCC. He spent the last 13 as vice president of Instruction and Workforce Education, where he has influenced the outcomes of tens of thousands of students through the years.
Friends and colleagues recognized Smith at a Monday celebration at the college’s Administrative Services Center, 9050 Viscount Blvd. About 250 people representing the college’s past and present showed up to acknowledge the love, respect and admiration they had for Smith and his work. They also celebrated his 64th birthday.
The audience listened to testimonials of those who knew and worked with Smith and watched videos with additional heartfelt and humorous recognitions that used “Star Wars” theme music playing softly in the background.
El Paso Community College Police Officer Alex Gachupin, left, gifts a commemorative coin to retiring Vice President of Instruction and Workforce Education Steven Smith, Jan. 20, 2026. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Smith, who attended the event with Joy, his wife of 44 years, said his heart was filled with gratitude for his time at EPCC, and for the great team that made his job easier.
“I’ve had a blessed journey,” he said.
The career
During an interview before the event, Smith said that he immediately knew after he started at the college that it was where he wanted to be in part because of its “lovely, family atmosphere.”
He was a faculty member for 11 years and taught the college’s first online class with a dial-up modem with telephone land lines. He saw how computer science would influence the future and took night courses at Webster University and earned his master’s in computer resource management in 1998. While content as an instructor, he was concerned with instability in the college’s leadership so he applied when a dean’s position opened in 2001.
He got the job.
The opportunities and projects that followed are the main reason that he stayed. He liked new, different challenges that allowed him to have a greater influence on faculty and eventually on district policy as a vice president. He said each promotion was a leap of faith, but he listened to his mantra as he faced the unknown.
“Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid,” Smith said during a conversation in the foyer of the Transmountain Campus where he took undergraduate classes, taught computer courses and served as dean. “Nobody ever feels ready for these (administrative) roles. Take the leap. Nobody’s looking for you to fail.”
El Paso Community College administrator Steve Smith returned to the classroom to help with a summer STEM program in 2015. (Courtesy of Steve Smith)
As vice president, Smith was responsible for 1,850 employees including around 400 full-time and 750 part-time faculty and a $70 million budget. Smith said that he is proud of his efforts to lower students’ time to degree, and reduction in the number of excess credits. Those moves increased retention and graduation rates, and saved students time and money.
He returned to UTEP to earn his doctorate in educational leadership and administration in 2021.
‘His impact will be felt for generations’
People who know Smith and have worked with him spoke about his tranquility, accessibility, integrity, commitment to purpose and his willingness to listen, “think big” and collaborate. They said his efforts, which include the creation and expansion of degrees and credentials of value, have led to positive outcomes for the college, its students, the community and the region.
EPCC President William Serrata, who joined the college six months after Smith was named vice president in 2012, called Smith a trusted friend and leader who helped make EPCC a Top 10 finalist for the 2014 Aspen Prize, a prestigious national award that recognizes successful community colleges.
Serrata also mentioned Smith’s work to enhance the college’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses and programs. For example, Smith led the effort to build up the college’s echocardiography program at the Rio Grande Campus and information technology programs at the Valle Verde Campus.
“We’ve done a lot of really good work together,” Serrata said. “He’s been a key partner in moving the institution forward. I’ve been privileged to work with him.”
Leila Melendez, CEO at Workforce Solutions Borderplex, said Smith’s leadership was instrumental in the success of the ADTech program for students interested in pathways to engineering careers. He supported faculty who developed curriculum that would serve as the bridge between high school and the University of Texas at El Paso.
“He’s an executive who is relatable,” said Melendez, who has worked with Smith for about 10 years. “He’s easy to interact with and a pleasure to work with.”
Steven Smith, El Paso Community College’s Vice President of Instruction and Workforce Education, says that his mantra was “be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid,” Jan. 20, 2026. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)
Armando Aguirre, executive director of Region 19 Education Service Center, said Smith has shown a dedication to student success and a willingness to embrace challenges. He called him a great partner of the center and the region’s school districts.
Aguirre recalled the two met around 2006 when he was principal of the Mission Early College High School in the Lower Valley and Smith was dean of the EPCC Transmountain Campus. Smith wanted to learn more about the early college concept in anticipation of the partnership with El Paso Independent School District to start the Transmountain ECHS.
He said there were many skeptics to the early college concept, but Smith was not one of them. He said Smith saw the value in high school students taking college courses as they earned their high school diplomas. Today, the college is affiliated with 18 early college high schools and 21 Pathways in Technology (P-TECH) early college high school programs.
“In a nutshell, I would say that our community in general, and specifically education, is better because of him,” Aguirre said. “He believed in what he was doing. He helped open doors to countless young adults in our community. I think his impact will be felt for generations.”
Carlos Amaya, EPCC’s vice president for Student and Enrollment Services, talked about Smith as a natural leader who held employees to high expectations. The college named Amaya in November as Smith’s successor.
“Dr. Smith is leaving a lasting legacy at the college in terms of student success, faculty innovation, and developing leaders who will continue to support and advance the work he started,” Amaya said.
In retirement, Smith said that he and his wife have domestic and international travel plans to include motorcycle trips. He also is open to continuing his efforts to help faculty and staff adjust to the changes created by state legislation such as Senate Bills 12 and 412 that were passed last year.
Smith added that he also looks forward to riding his bicycle, tinkering in his workshop and spending time in his observatory on his five-acre ranch in Chaparral, New Mexico.
“It’s been an incredibly gratifying ride, an amazing journey,” Smith said. “I don’t leave wishing too many things had gone a different way.”
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