Texas Tech University

Mark & Sarah Smith

Vice President, Institutional Clients Group, Citi; Manager, Financial Accounting Advisory Services Group, Embark
BBA, Finance, 2014
2022 G.O.L.D. Award

Mark is a proud Rawls College graduate from the spring class of 2014. He chose to attend Texas Tech after graduating from Smithson Valley High School in Bulverde, Texas, a decision he describes as the best decision in his life up to that point. While at Texas Tech, Mark was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, serving as scholarship chairman, as well as a member of the Finance Association. 

Upon graduating, Mark moved to Dallas, Texas to work as a consultant at Ryan, LLC, a role he credits to the Rawls Career Management Center. After Ryan, Mark spent several years working in Treasury for EnLink Midstream, prior to accepting his current role at Citi where he serves as vice president in their Institutional Clients Group. 

His next great decision came when he met his wife, Sarah. Sarah, a CPA, worked in public accounting for several years before recently beginning a new role as manager at Embark in their Financial Accounting Advisory Services group. 

Sarah attended Millsaps College, graduating in 2015 with a BBA in Accounting, then earning both her MAcc & MBA in 2016. While not a Rawls alumna herself, she recognized its importance to Mark and in 2019, surprised Mark with the groundwork for what would become the Mark A. Smith Opportunity Fund scholarship. The fund was officially established just weeks later. This was a special milestone for Mark. He would not have been able to attend college without the generosity of private scholarship donors. In every thank you letter, he promised each donor that their investment in him would pay dividends to future generations. In 2021, the Mark A. Smith Opportunity Fund scholarship became the Mark and Sarah Smith Opportunity Fund endowment, fulfilling Mark's promises.

Mark & Sarah Smith, 2021 G.O.L.D. Award