Columbus State University’s annual Legacy Celebration banquet, to be held on Wednesday, March 25, will honor university students, employees, alumni and partners for their advocacy, leadership and accomplishments.

The dinner program begins at 6 p.m. in the university’s Cunningham Center on its Main Campus. The celebration will feature keynote speaker T. Dallas Smith, a leading African American real estate executive and business owner. The university will also present its annual Legacy Awards honoring 12 campus and community leaders. Online nominations for those awards will be accepted through Friday, Feb. 20, and tickets are on sale  through Friday, March 6.

Smith is the founder and CEO of T. Dallas Smith & Company, where he leads the firm’s branding and strategic direction while overseeing the development of new business verticals aligned with the company’s core mission. He launched the company in 2006 with a focus on tenant representation and has since grown it into a national commercial real estate firm. Under his leadership, T. Dallas Smith & Company has represented more than 8 million square feet of office and industrial space, facilitated more than 5,000 acres of land acquisitions, and completed transactions totaling more than $16 billion in value.

Known as an innovator and thought leader, Smith is deeply committed to cultivating diverse talent and expanding opportunity within the commercial real estate industry. He began his commercial real estate career in 1982 at Atlanta Air Center Realty, where he gained foundational experience in leasing and property management. In 1989, he became the first African American broker at Cushman & Wakefield of Georgia, helping pave the way for greater diversity in the profession. He later pioneered the brokerage division at H.J. Russell & Company in 1995, serving as vice president before founding his own firm with the support of the late Herman J. Russell.

Throughout his distinguished career, Smith has earned widespread recognition and held influential leadership roles across the business, civic and educational sectors. His accolades include multiple Atlanta Business Chronicle Most Admired CEO awards, Entrepreneur of the Year honors, and consistent recognition by Georgia Trend and Atlanta Magazine as one of the state’s most influential leaders. He has served as president of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors and has held or currently holds board leadership positions with the University System of Georgia (former chair of the Board of Regents), Georgia Power, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and the Westside Future Fund (current chair), among other organizations—highlighting his lasting impact on economic development, education and community growth. He holds a bachelor of business administration in management from Georgia State University.

The Legacy Awards website provides access to submit nominations and purchase tickets. Tickets can be purchased individually for $25 or as tables of eight for $200. The priority ticket deadline is Friday, March 6, and sales will continue until tickets are sold out.

For more information, including how to serve as an event sponsor, email Leah Harrison, student development coordinator, or call 706.569.4648.