UQ USA Alumni Network

Dr Royce Smith
Chair, USA Alumni Network
Dean of the College of Arts, California State University, Long Beach

UQ qualifications: Master of Arts 2000, PhD 2005

Dr Royce W. Smith currently holds the position of Dean of the College of Arts at California State University, Long Beach. Before assuming this role, he served as the Dean of the College of Arts & Architecture and held the title of Professor of Art History at Montana State University, Bozeman. Preceding his tenure there, Dr Smith held the position of Professor of Contemporary Art History and also served as Director of the School of Art, Design, and Creative Industries at Wichita State University. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in art history from the University of Queensland and held his first professorship at the University of New South Wales College of Fine Arts in Sydney prior to returning to the United States. He has held visiting professorships at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and the Instituto Superior de Artes in Havana, Cuba. He was also a Fulbright Scholar to Paraguay in 2015 to organize the inaugural Asunción Biennial of International Art—an event showcasing 128 artists from 19 countries in 54 venues in the city (including the runway of the airport). He has also served as part of the official curatorial teams of the Bienal de La Habana in Cuba and the Curitiba Biennial of International Art in Brazil.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drroycewsmith/

Graner Thorne
Co-Chair, USA Alumni Network
Director of Sales, Hypergiant

UQ qualifications: Study Abroad, 2008

Graner is a veteran Sales and Business Development professional based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has extensive experience in the space sector previously developing national geospatial programs for sovereign governments. Graner served 10 years in the US Marine Corps as an MV-22 Osprey pilot and Operations Officer and brings experience from multiple combat deployments to the Middle East.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/graner-thorne/