Kansas Board of Regents' Vice President of Workforce Development Scott Smathers is the featured speaker at the Colby Community College commencement ceremony on Friday.  The event begins at 6 p.m. in the Colby Community Building.

Smathers provides executive leadership for the Kansas Postsecondary Technical Education Authority. In this position, he is the state leader for issues involving the postsecondary education and training system in developing an educated workforce that aligns with the needs of the Kansas economy. His scope of responsibility includes developing a policy agenda for postsecondary technical education, curriculum and program evaluation, system funding, benchmarks and accountability, management of federal initiatives, GED testing and administration, and serving as the Kansas state director for both the Carl D. Perkins and Adult Education programs. 

Prior to his current role, Smathers worked as an economic developer and as a retail consultant, helping companies with their location and operational decisions around the world.

The commencement ceremony, and the 2 p.m. nurses pinning earlier in the day, can be viewed live on Open Spaces Sports.