Get to Know HudsonAlpha: O'Neal Smitherman

Dr. O'Neal Smitherman, HudsonAlpha's executive vice president, is an Alabama native and UA grad. He finally came back home, but not before leaving his professional marks at institutions across the country.  Now Dr. Smitherman is making a difference at HudsonAlpha, where he believes biotechnology, world-class researchers and collaborations are key to taking "The Science of Progress" to a whole new level.



Q: When and how did you begin your career?
It's difficult to say when a career begins. Was it when I was 10 and cutting our neighbors' grass or when I was 12 and began playing in bands every weekend? Or was it at 16 when I began working on cars. Perhaps it was teaching college while I was in graduate school or working with developmentally disabled children and adults. Was it teaching police officer recruits at Alabama's Police Academy? Perhaps it was as a research associate in Virginia or director of the FedEx Institute at the University of Memphis or as vice president of IT in Indiana.
 
Q: You were VP of IT at Ball State University. How does IT fit into everything we are doing at HudsonAlpha?
One of the things that seems to be true for our age is that Information Technology is an integral part of everything we do today. We all use computers for writing documents, keeping track of business and personal finances, even communicating with friends and business associates. Even our automobiles use computers to determine the air/gas mixture in our fuel systems, make our brake systems operate effectively and tell us when the air pressure is low in our tires. 

Likewise, the field of biotechnology and genetics/genomics relies heavily on the use of information technologies to order and make sense of what we learn. Indeed, without advanced information technologies, we would not have been able to learn so much so quickly in the field of genetics. 

In turn our fields of study are pushing the development of better information technologies. Genetics and genomics development is forcing information technologies to become larger, faster and more efficient.

Q: You received numerous prestigious honors for your work at Ball State, including CIO Magazine's number one innovator for 2006. To what do you credit the successes you've achieved throughout your career?
In fields like ours, I believe that a curiosity for, and openness to, new ideas are important ingredients to success. These, and an impatience with the pace of learning, encourage us to learn more and help us to improve humanity.

Q: What inspired you to accept the Executive VP position at HudsonAlpha, and what do you most enjoy about it?
Three primary factors are responsible for my being at HudsonAlpha. First, I have known Rick Myers and his work for many years. He has the vision and the enthusiasm that I know is necessary to take this field to a new level. As he talked with me I knew the Institute would be a success. Second, I am convinced that the study and implementation of genetics and genomics techniques have the potential to make dramatic improvements in the lives of everyone on earth. Being part of something larger and more important than ourselves is very attractive to me. Finally, the vision for the institute that Jim Hudson and Lonnie McMillian developed represents the perfect collaboration of academic style research with business development and a strong educational core. Having been involved in universities, developing my own businesses and working to educate young people, I know many of the shortcomings of our current institutions. HudsonAlpha represents a new approach to all three that produces a synergy and an effectiveness that neither alone can realize.


Q: How did your previous experiences prepare you for your role here?
One of the lessons that I have learned over the years, is that all successful human endeavors involve cooperation and lots of interaction. I believe that everything in my past, from studying psychology to running small businesses, to teaching college, to leading an Information Technology division and working with university boards of trustees, reflect that need for an understanding of what people need to allow them to contribute to the higher good. There are so many such good people here at HudsonAlpha, working to achieve that greater good, that I am certain we can contribute to reducing human suffering and improving all life on earth.

Q: You earned both undergrad and Ph.D. at UA. What was it like to come back to Alabama?
I think that we all owe a debt to the homeland that nurtured us, and I feel that way about Alabama. Although I have been away from Alabama for many years, I am so proud of where the state is headed and I hope to be able to contribute in some small way to its growth. I am convinced that the work being done here in the life sciences gives Alabama a chance to be known for its advanced work and provides a springboard to an even more positive image.

Q:  You were instrumental in securing significant philanthropic gifts while serving as director of the FedEx Technology Institute.  How important is that kind of generous support in regards to the important research underway at HudsonAlpha?
Everywhere that I have been, I have found that people want to be part of doing good and improving the human condition. Most people just need to be informed of how to do that and they are on board. That was true in Memphis with the development of the FedEx Institute and the Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Program as well as in Indiana and the Lily Endowment, where more than $40 million was raised to develop digital media to help our young people learn and provide a new basis for economic development.  That spirit is strongly ingrained in the north Alabama area, and I know that as we show people of the area and the state how they can help, that we will see their continued commitment to improve the lot of humanity.  HudsonAlpha offers a tremendous opportunity to do good and I am convinced that when we show that to the people of the state, they will step forward with the support to make our important work successful.


Q: As an alum, what is your reaction to Mark Ingram winning the Heisman? 
Mark Ingram winning the Heisman is just one more example of what Alabama can do and how we have the ability to grow excellence in the state.