Darnell Smith, market president for the north Florida region at Florida Blue, was selected for the Flagler College Board of Trustees. His board term will begin on March 5 at the regularly-scheduled spring board meeting.
Smith brings with him experience in growth management as well as customer service excellence. His work at Florida Blue encompasses a period of industry-leading customer service satisfaction for the company.
“We are thrilled to have someone with Darnell’s expertise and commitment to education join the Flagler College Board of Trustees. His ties to the local area and community engagement efforts, both personally and professionally, are perfect for Flagler as we develop our FlagSHIP programs and other high impact practices, locally and globally,” said Flagler College President Joseph G. Joyner.
Smith was the first Florida Blue market president to be based out of Jacksonville. He grew up in St. Augustine, in the neighborhood of Lincolnville which is in close proximity to Flagler.
He received his bachelor’s from Florida State University in electrical engineering. He’s also a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program and of the University of Michigan Advanced HR Executive Program. Smith has been actively engaged in the northeast Florida community for over three decades, ranging from First Coast YMCA, United Way of Northeast Florida and the Sulzbacher Center to the Cathedral Arts Project. In 2017 he served as chair of the JAX Chamber Board of Directors.
About Flagler College
Flagler College is a small private, independent college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 34 majors, 41 minors, and a master’s degree in Education of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as an offsite campus in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a National Historic Landmark opened in 1888 by railroad pioneer and Standard Oil co-founder Henry M. Flagler. For more on Flagler College, visit flagler.edu.
