I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.

Tony Smoke was the first person in his family to attend college, and he is committed to making that jump possible for tomorrow’s engineers through his family scholarship in the College of Engineering.

After graduating in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Smoke began working at Alabama Power, where he co-opped throughout his time at Auburn.

During his 42-year career, he held positions across the board. Smoke quickly moved up the ranks to his final position as vice president of marketing and economic development until his retirement in July 2023.

Of all the challenges Smoke faced during his career, the most impactful were the ones he couldn’t solve.

“As engineers, we spend a lot of time learning how to solve problems,” he said. “The most eye-opening moments for me in my career were when I wasn’t the one figuring out the answer, and I had to rely on others. That’s when I really learned how to function on a team. The ability to motivate and utilize people may be the best skill of all.”

And it’s always a bonus if those people are Auburn Tigers.

“No matter where you are, if you see someone with an Auburn ball cap on and you give them a ‘War Eagle,’ it immediately puts you back in Auburn. It’s just a good down-home feeling when you see someone else from the Auburn Family,” Smoke said.