A native of Vicksburg, CD Smith (Father of the Bride) is regional director for AT&T Mississippi, serving out of the Meridian office with oversight over 31 counties in east Mississippi. A 46-year employee of AT&T, he relocated to Meridian in 1977 to work for the local office of South Central Bell, then a subsidiary of AT&T. He worked his way up in the company and eventually earned both his bachelor’s degree in business and industry and master’s degree in business administration from the Meridian campus of Mississippi State University.