Clinton County native Connie Moreland Smith returned to the Bowling Green, Kentucky spotlight last week when she was named one of two inductees onto the Bowling Green Junior Achievement’s Business Hall of Fame.

Smith’s induction ceremony onto the prestigious Hall of Fame collection of Bowling Green area business figures was televised live last week by stations there.

Smith is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Med Center Health and Chief Executive Officer of The Medical Center.

That same company is the parent company of The Med Center at Albany.

Smith is the daughter of Willie and Dean Moreland of Albany, and the granddaughter of the late Willie and Eunice Bowlin, and John and Bessie Moreland.

She and her husband, Ricky K. Smith, have one daughter, Melanie Wyatt, and they have a son, Lincoln.

The Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame was designed in 1992 to recognize outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to our community. Inductees are selected based upon their entrepreneurial spirit, business achievements, and positive economic impact upon the South Central Kentucky area.

Smith joins 32 outstanding business leaders whose leadership and community service serve as an inspiration to the students that look to Junior Achievement for guidance and support as they further their understanding of the business community. A portrait exhibit of inductees is housed at the Knicely Conference Center.

“I would like to thank Junior Achievement of South Central Kentucky and the Business Hall of Fame committee for this prestigious award,” said Smith. “We teach our youth that success and accomplishment do not happen without teamwork and the support and dedication of those around you. It is in this spirit that I humbly accept this award on behalf of the entire Med Center Health team and the 3,800 individuals who dedicate their lives to the health and well-being of others.”

Connie D. Smith, RN, MSN, FACHE, joined Med Center Health in 1981. She received both her Associate of Science degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Western Kentucky University, followed by a Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Louisville. Smith holds licenses as both a Registered Nurse and Nursing Home Administrator.

She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves in a leadership capacity on other healthcare organizations including the Kentucky Health Collaborative Executive Committee.

Smith serves on the University of Kentucky College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus Joint Executive Oversight Committee and is a member of the Western Kentucky University Board of Advisors.

Smith previously served on the Kentucky Hospital Association’s Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Solutions Group Board and the Kentucky Institute for Patient Safety and Quality Board. She also served as Chair of the Kentucky Hospital Association Certificate of Need Committee.

In 2013, Smith was recipient of the ATHENA award. In 2014, Smith was named to the Western Kentucky University College of Health & Human Services Inaugural Hall of Fame. In 2015, she was the top fundraiser for the Project Purple Run to Beat Pancreatic Cancer. Smith has also served on various other healthcare related groups including the National Kidney Foundation of Kentucky, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the Bowling Green Road Runners Club.

A graduate of Clinton County High School, Smith told the Clinton County News during a previous interview, that while she might currently be more recognized as an administrative leader in the health care world in Bowling Green, deep down, she always falls back to her original health care career choice.

“Most of my career has been in administration. Even so, I’m a nurse. No matter what else I become, I will always be a nurse,” Smith said.