For Mississippi native and Ole Miss alumnus Josh Smith, supporting Ole Miss Athletics is less about visibility and more about loyalty — loyalty to the University of Mississippi, to lifelong friendships and to the student-athletes who represent Ole Miss with pride.
Smith, a 1998 graduate of the UM School of Business Administration, has made major monetary gifts as well as gifts in kind to the Vaught Society over the past several years. The Vaught Society is the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation’s (OMAF) premier fundraising level that provides crucial financial assistance to student-athletes through scholarships, academic guidance and wellness support.
“I’ve known Josh since I was a kid and I’ve seen first-hand what a huge Rebel fan he is,” said Ben Van Cleve, OMAF’s assistant director of development. “His contributions have directly supported our student-athletes by underwriting scholarships and facility enhancements, helping keep the Rebels competitive on the field and high-achieving in the classroom.
“On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, who will benefit from his gifts, I want to express my gratitude. Josh’s support will play a major role in the continued success of our sports programs.”
Smith’s relationship with Ole Miss Athletics began long before his role as a donor. Raised in Brookhaven, Mississippi, by UM-educated parents, he grew up in a household where Rebel athletics were a way of life. Although Smith briefly explored attending West Point — and even prepared to play football there — circumstances ultimately brought him to Ole Miss, where family tradition and opportunity converged.
Smith’s risk management and insurance major prepared him for a successful career in the insurance industry. After working in the profession many years, he joined his father in building the Brookhaven-based Insurance & Risk Managers from the ground up and then sold it to Higginbotham, an insurance, financial and HR services firm ranked as the 20th largest independent broker in the U.S.
In college, Smith rarely missed a home game. As a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, he immersed himself in the culture of Oxford, forming relationships that would carry forward for decades. Among those is his most important: meeting Sloane Newton, the woman who would become his wife.
Those relationships would later become the foundation of Smith’s philanthropic involvement in Ole Miss Athletics. As his professional career flourished and his daughter, Sara Rodgers, chose to attend Ole Miss (where she’s currently a junior), Smith found himself reconnecting with familiar faces. He had longstanding relationships with Keith Carter (vice chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics), Denson Hollis (OMAF CEO), Walker Jones (director of NIL initiatives through The Grove Collective) and Van Cleve — connections built not through business alone, but through shared history and mutual respect.
“That trust made all the difference,” Smith explained. “These were people I knew, people I had confidence in and people who genuinely care about Ole Miss and its student-athletes.”
Smith’s support has played a meaningful role in strengthening Ole Miss Athletics across multiple fronts. He has been an active supporter of the Vaught Society, engaging in its experiences and helping foster a sense of fellowship among like-minded supporters across the country. He has also assisted The Grove Collective, lending support during periods of critical need and helping ensure student-athletes have access to timely resources in an evolving collegiate landscape.
A significant focus of Smith’s giving has been Ole Miss men’s and women’s golf. A longtime admirer of head coaches Chris Malloy (men) and Kory Henkes (women), Smith has watched the steady rise of these programs with pride.
Recognizing golf as a non-revenue sport, he felt compelled to help provide stability and support where it is often most needed. Recent national championships and individual titles only reinforced his belief that investing in the golf program is an investment in sustained excellence.
“Golf may not always be in the spotlight,” Smith said, “but what those coaches and student-athletes are accomplishing is remarkable. Supporting that kind of success matters.”
In addition to traditional giving, Smith has found unique ways to support Ole Miss Athletics through in-kind contributions, helping to provide UM staff with transportation for university-related travel, including bowl game excursions and Vaught Society trips.
What truly distinguishes Smith’s connection to Ole Miss Athletics is the personal care his family has experienced in return. Whether through handwritten notes, consistent outreach or meaningful gestures during difficult moments, Smith has seen firsthand how athletics leadership extends beyond competition.
“The little touches that the university does are so meaningful to my family,” he explained. “For example, my eighth-grade daughter, Emmie, had double spine surgery, and the first person to call and check on her was Ben Van Cleve. I mean, who does that, right?”
It’s a moment Smith said he will never forget.
Today, Ole Miss Athletics is woven into the daily life of the Smith family. UM junior Sara Rodgers Smith has interned within the athletics department and worked with the OMAF staff. Soon, she’ll be inducted into the university’s prestigious student-service organization, The Columns Society.
And even as Smith’s high-school son, Hampton, pursues collegiate football opportunities better suited to his position at smaller programs, weekends in Oxford remain a priority.
“For us, Ole Miss Athletics is family,” Smith said. “It’s the people, the relationships and the shared commitment to excellence.”
Looking ahead, Smith sees his support as a continuation — not a culmination — of a lifelong relationship with Ole Miss. His hope is that future generations of student-athletes will benefit from the same sense of belonging, opportunity and support that have defined his own experience.
“At the end of the day, this is about giving back to a program and a university that have given my family so much,” he said. “Supporting Ole Miss Athletics is just our way of saying thank you.”
To join the Vaught Society, contact Ben Van Cleve, assistant director of development, at ben@givetoathletics.com or 662-832-7769. For more information, click here.
By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation