A two-time graduate of OSU, Patsiann Nix Smith received a bachelor’s degree in general agriculture in 1965 and a general administration degree in 1982. Born in Oklahoma City and a fifth-generation Oklahoman, Nix Smith currently resides in Tahlequah and owns her family's original Cherokee allotment.

 

She currently serves on the board of directors for the Cherokee Nation Foundation and is active in fundraising activities and award selections. Nix Smith established an endowment in her great-great grandmother’s name, who homesteaded in Tahlequah from the Trail of Tears. She also helped the Cherokee Foundation acquire funding for scholarships distributed annually to students.

 

In addition, Nix Smith has been stalwart in supporting the operations of the OSU Purebred Beef Center as well as the other animal units in the OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences. She has helped grow the operational endowments for all six of the department’s animal units.

 

Nix Smith and her nephew, Jimmy Nix, are directors of the Nix Foundation, which supports the OSU Spears School of Business and is a major gift donor for the New Frontiers campaign.