Anthony Smith spent much of his professional IT career in New Jersey and South Carolina before returning to Western New York and taking a position as Help Desk Consultant at UB. Anthony was attracted to the position for the challenges and opportunity for growth the job offered.

One of Anthony's primary responsibilities is the day to day supervision of the CIT Help Desk. The Help Desk assists students, faculty and staff from a variety of departments. CIT at UB has grown substantially since Smith joined. Changes at CIT mean new challenges for Anthony as the Help Desk now covers problems with UBIT accounts, network incidents, classroom equipment and collaborative learning spaces.

Anthony's daily tasks are “interrupt driven” and often involve responding to a customer’s needs if the student consultant is unable to help them. Anthony and other consultants also challenge themselves to solve customer problems outside their area of support. Working with the CIT Help Desk gives Anthony the satisfaction of helping others with their immediate technology needs. 

Anthony works to create a supportive environment for Help Desk student consultants, who often stay in the position for multiple years. He forms a close relationship with the students, helping them to grow both inside and outside of their position as young employees. For Anthony, offering mentorship and guidance to student employees is the "greatest reward," allowing him "to have an impact not only on today, but also tomorrow."

Working with students also keeps Anthony connected to current events and is a reciprocal learning process. Helping students, particularly during back to school events, gives Anthony and the student consultants a chance to see firsthand the results of their efforts.

When Anthony is not at the office, he dedicates his life to his family. He and his wife participate in sports activities with their two young sons and sledding or snowmobile riding in the winter. He also enjoys tinkering in the garage and riding his motorcycle when the weather cooperates.