HUNTSVILLE | President Dr. Robert Altenkirch and The University of Alabama in Huntsville have announced that Dr. Cade Smith has been appointed as the university's interim director of athletics.
 
Smith will also continue in his role as the department's head volleyball coach.
 
"I am honored and appreciative to have this opportunity to lead this athletic department," Dr. Smith said. "This place is special and has become my home, and I'm excited about my expanded responsibilities. I'm looking forward to continuing to create positive experiences for our student-athletes and to further develop an athletic program in which our university and Huntsville community can be proud."
 
Smith has been at UAH since 2013 when he joined the Chargers as an assistant, and he took over the reigns as the head volleyball coach on Feb. 4, 2016.
 
During that time, Smith has mentored four all-GSC honorees, two all-South Region selections, a CoSIDA Academic All-American, two CoSIDA Academic All-District performers, four GSC all-academic award winners, and 44 GSC honor roll recipients, and the Chargers have recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2004-05.
 
Before joining the UAH volleyball staff, Smith spent six years coaching at Central Arkansas Christian School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and, in addition to his coaching duties, he served two years as the school principal following four years in the classroom.
 
Smith graduated from Harding University in 2005 with a bachelor's in physical science and chemistry, and he earned his master's in 2006 and a doctorate in education in 2015 from Harding as well. Smith also owns a master's in human resource management from UAH which he earned in 2018.