2026 District 2 Rising Star
Megan Smedley
Strategic Communications Administrator
Ashland Community & Technical College
Kentucky
What did you do before joining Ashland Community & Technical College (ACTC)? How did that prepare you for your current role?
I began my career as a teacher before making an unexpected transition into journalism, accepting a position as an education reporter for a small-town newspaper. That experience became one of the most important foundations for my career in communications. As a reporter, I learned how to ask the right questions, identify the heart of a story, build relationships within a community and communicate information clearly to a broad audience. My background in education also taught me how to understand different audiences, meet people where they are and make information accessible.
After a newspaper downsizing led to my departure from journalism, I joined ACTC as an eLearning student support specialist. When an opportunity arose to assist the marketing and public relations department by writing a weekly press release, I accepted. That small assignment eventually led to the strategic communications administrator position I hold today.
Looking back, each chapter prepared me for the next. Teaching taught me to connect with people. Journalism taught me to tell their stories. Higher education gave me a mission worth communicating. Together, those experiences shaped the communicator I am today.
What is one of your major accomplishments since starting at ACTC?
One of my major accomplishments since joining the college has been helping strengthen the way we tell our institutional story. I have worked to build stronger relationships with local media, develop more consistent and strategic news content, and create opportunities to showcase the accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. I have also worked to make storytelling a more intentional part of our communications strategy rather than something we turn to only when there is an announcement to make.
What is one of the things you like best about working in higher ed?
One of the things I enjoy most about working in higher education is that there is never a shortage of meaningful stories to tell. Behind every program, achievement, scholarship, event or initiative are people whose lives are being changed in some way.