Raymond W. Smith (TPR 1959)

2017 Alumni Lifetime (Distinguished) Achievement Award

Bio

As CEO and chairman of Bell Atlantic — one of several regional “Baby Bells” resulting from the court-ordered breakup of AT&T — Raymond W. Smith (IM 1959) acquired more than 30 companies in nearly two dozen countries to create what today is Verizon, the largest communications company in the country.

In 1999, after retiring from Verizon, Raymond founded Arlington Capital Partners, a private equity firm that has invested more than $2.2 billion in government services and technology, aerospace/defense, healthcare services and business services and software companies.

Raymond earned his undergraduate business degree from CMU’s Tepper School of Business in 1959 and is a trustee emeritus of his alma mater. He has served on several corporate boards and been a special envoy for the State Department.

During his impressive career, he has been CNBC’s CEO of the Year and Bloomberg Businessweek’s Top Manager of the Year. He also has been honored by the NAACP and the National Center for Learning Disabilities for his support of civil rights and diversity.

Meanwhile, he has found time to write 14 books and direct, write and act in dozens of plays. He even paints.