Evan Smith

Evan Smith spent nearly 18 years at TEXAS MONTHLY, stepping down in August 2009 as the magazine's president and editor in chief. Previously he served as editor for more than eight years—only the third person to hold that title. On his watch, TEXAS MONTHLY was nominated for sixteen National Magazine Awards, the magazine industry's equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, and twice was awarded the National Magazine Award for General Excellence. A New York native, Smith has a bachelor's degree in public policy from Hamilton College (Clinton, New York) and a master's degree in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois). He previously held editorial positions at a number of national magazines; most recently at The New Republic, where he was deputy editor. He hosts a weekly interview program, TEXAS MONTHLY TALKS, that has aired on PBS stations all across Texas since 2003, and he is an occasional guest on numerous TV and radio shows. Smith sits on the boards of the Austin Film Society, Trinity Episcopal School, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, the Headliners Club, and Matinee Media. He is also the founding co-chair of the Texas Film Hall of Fame. In 2005, in recognition of his contributions to Austin and Texas, Smith was named Austinite of the Year Under 40 by the Young Men's Business League and Young Women's Business League. In 2006, he was inducted into the Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement.