A military veteran has spent his life serving his country and now serving others

AURORA, Colo. — Goodwill of Colorado recently launched their Excel Center of Colorado’s Aurora campus which provides education opportunities for students over the age of 21 years old. The center is a high school that allows adult students to earn their high school diplomas. 

Gary Smith is the Chief Mission Officer for Goodwill of Colorado who oversees the high school and is a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Army where he served as a medic. He said he made the transition to civilian life in 2008 by working at Goodwill to help create opportunities for students earning their diplomas and veterans trying to get back on their feet.

“For me, I was looking for that fit, and I really wondered, ‘How am I going to continue to serve?’ because I had spent 22 years in the military, and it was very important to me,” Smith said.  “There are over 300,000 adults without a high school diploma in Colorado, so this is a real opportunity to change some lives of Coloradans.”

As the Chief Mission Officer, Smith oversees all community impact, education and training programs as well as human resources/learning and development for the organization. Part of his duties include overseeing the new Excel Center in Aurora; a tuition-free, in-person adult-learning high school for adults looking for a second chance at a high school diploma.

“We are trying to reduce the barriers they have to success in employment, and in this case to attending school,” Smith said. “We provide workforce development programs that last year, impacted about 40,000 or so Coloradans through job placement, job education.”

Smith said through his military experience, he developed a passion for helping others during his deployments overseas.

“I was a medic, and so the opportunity to help the population there was just really moving,” Smith said. “Ultimately, it was moving enough for me to stay 22 years.”

During his years in the military, Smith learned skills that he still uses in his role with Goodwill and feels other veterans looking for employment can do the same.

“We understand not just what we went through in the military…but the near universal challenge that veterans face for gainful employment once they exit the military,” Smith said. “And so, our veterans face that challenge every single day and they do transfer, those skills transfer.”

The Excel Center was created in 2010 in Indianapolis and has grown to become The Excel Center National Network with 41 adult high schools in nine states and Washington, D.C., Goodwill has graduated more than 13,000 adults across all Excel Centers since the program’s inception. A second Excel Center in Colorado Springs is planned for 2026, with three additional Colorado locations in the early discussion stages. Smith hopes the centers will be a second chance for its students and a way to fulfill his second call of duty.

“I’m just thrilled with the impact; I can see the impact we’re having on the lives of Coloradans,” Smith said. “It’s just very heartwarming to see these adults getting a second shot at education.”

For more information about the Excel Center, click here: https://excelcentercolorado.org/.