Please join us for lunch!

For our meeting Monday, September 15th, 2025, we welcome
Nancy L. Smith, CFE, Certified Fair Executive, South Carolina State Fair.

Nancy L. Smith: Ms. Smith has been associated with the fair industry since 1984, at which time she began her “fair journey” in the home and craft department of the South Carolina State Fair. She eventually became superintendent of this department and assumed a full-time position with the South Carolina State Fair, in 2000, as director of entertainment and exhibits.

In 2003, Ms. Smith became involved in sponsorship and marketing opportunities, including integration of exhibits and entertainment to facilitate growth in this area. She was promoted to Assistant Manager in February of 2008 and in January of 2018, assumed leadership of the fair as the Secretary/General Manager. Smith is very involved in the fair industry, including the South Carolina Association of Fairs, the Mid-West Fairs Association, and the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE). She earned her Certified Fair Executive designation in 2006 and is a 2018 graduate of the IAFE Institute of Fair Management. She was previously on the Speakers Bureau for the IAFE, where she served on the board as Zone 2 Director, representing eight states in the southeast. Smith recently completed a five-year term on the Executive Committee of the IAFE where she served as Chair in 2020. She currently serves as President of the South Carolina Association of Fairs and the Mid-West Fair’s Association, an industry organization that promotes and encourages objectives for which fairs are organized and disseminates advantageous information to its members.

A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Ms. Smith was previously employed in the catering business. She is a member of First Presbyterian Associate Reformed Church in Columbia, SC. Additionally, Smith serves on the SC Philharmonic’s Advisory Board.

Smith considers it an honor to be involved in an industry that makes a positive difference in our community and state.