Candace Smith joined the Bobcats in March 2025 as the Executive Associate Athletics Director and Athletics Chief Financial Officer.
Prior to Ohio, Smith served as the Senior Associate Athletics Director/CFO at Akron, where she served in various roles of increasing leadership for 17 years. For the last five years, Smith was a member of the athletics executive staff and assisted with the strategic direction of the athletics department, while also leading the business operations, human resources and sports medicine departments. Smith also oversaw the development and management of the department-wide budget, while ensuring compliance with all NCAA Financial and Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) reporting requirements. She also served as the sport administrator for men's and women's basketball, with previous supervisory experience managing the track & field/cross country and volleyball teams.
Smith also brings the experience of being a former MAC student-athlete to the role, as she was a member of the Central Michigan women's basketball program from 2005-08, where she was a four-year letterwinner and earned her business administration degree. She earned her master's in business administration from Akron.
