The NTCSA recognizes Joe Stone for helping promote tribal child support enforcement programs and efforts across the U.S.
The CEO of Systems & Methods, Inc. (SMI), Joe Stone, won the Partnership Award for Professional Excellence on June 15 at the National Tribal Child Support Association (NTCSA) Annual Conference in Catoosa, Oklahoma.
Stone, who joined SMI in 1979 and became its CEO in 2003, earned the award for helping the NTCSA promote tribal child support enforcement programs and efforts across the U.S.
“I’m pleasantly shocked and beyond honored to receive the Partnership Award for Professional Excellence,” said Stone, whose father, Bob Stone, founded SMI in 1971 in Carrollton, Georgia.
“We absolutely love working with this association, and believe me, we've gained so much over the years thanks to the friendships and partnerships that we’ve forged with its members. I feel privileged to work with this group of folks because they are remarkably dedicated to their mission to serve children in tribal communities.”
Since joining the family-owned business, Stone has helped conceive SMI’s SMART® solution and smiONE.
Today, SMI operates comprehensive State Disbursement Units (SDUs) in 16 states and manages the reloadable smiONE™ Visa® Prepaid Card for 2 million cardholders in 12 states and 12 tribes, more than any other provider in America.
Of paramount importance, under Stone’s leadership, SMI has helped millions of families nationwide access critical government payments that improve the quality of their daily lives.
Stone downplayed his achievements and credited the SMI family and their national, state, and local partners for the 50-year-old business’ successes.
“We wouldn’t be here today without the invaluable efforts and contributions from organizations like the NTCSA,” Stone said.
“They dubbed this conference ‘Tribal Child Support – A Full Circle: The Past, The Present, and The Future.’ Working together with the NTCSA, we’ve made major strides to reshape the future of tribal child support. However, our work isn’t complete, and the future is already here. We’re determined to constantly improve to better serve our agencies. It’s a challenging, endless task and one that we welcome.”
