CHARLESTON – Certified educational planner Jamie Dickenson and certified public accountant Chuck Smith have been named new members of the West Virginia College Prepaid Tuition and Savings Program Board of Trustees.
Dickenson and Smith attended both the board’s audit committee meeting Tuesday night and a quarterly board meeting Wednesday, at the Players Club office complex on Hillcrest Drive.
“We couldn’t be happier to have both on the board,” said board chairman and State Treasurer John Perdue. “Jamie knows what parents go through on the ground level when it comes to paying for college and Chuck brings a wealth of financial and accounting experience to the board.”
Dickenson owns Jamie Dickenson, LLC, a Charleston firm that for 16 years has helped aspiring college students and their families understand both college education financing and admittance. She owns a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s in business administration from Marshall University. Dickenson aids local students as well as those from across the country by using Skype and other long-distance technology.
Smith is the founder of the accounting firm Smith Cochran & Hicks and a public service veteran. He has served, among other roles, as mayor of the city of Montgomery; West Virginia’s deputy Secretary of State; and a member of West Virginia University Tech’s Board of Directors. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from the West Virginia University Institute of Technology.
SMART529 fund managers and consultants gave a positive report during Wednesday’s meeting, noting that assets of the plan have increased to $2.2 billion, 19 percent higher than last year’s levels. WVDirect, a program open only to West Virginia residents and boasting unique tax advantages eligible to state residents, was up 24 percent in sales from this quarter last year. The plan requires no specific outlay of money and no minimum subsequent contributions.