Paul David Smith

Dr. Paul David Smith is an educator and community advocate, originally from Washington, D.C.  Before joining the Los Angeles County team, he served as the Director of Legitimacy and Reconciliation at the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice — where he also directed the Chicago Violence Reduction Strategy.  Prior to that, Dr. Smith served in the City of Chattanooga, TN as the Public Safety Coordinator after serving as the Executive Principal of The Howard School, making noteworthy strides in educational achievement, raising test scores and graduation rates significantly from 46% to 88.6% in five years.

Dr. Smith holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Johnson University with a dissertation focus on community-based violence intervention, a Master of Education degree from Trevecca Nazarene University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in History from the University of Tennessee. He was also a Leadership Fellow in the Public Education Foundation’s initiative.

Dr. Smith believes in developing partnerships focusing on building safer communities together.  He is married with three children.  Dr. Smith co-created the High Point Community Development Initiative to uplift and empower individuals and communities in the advancement of social justice. He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity where he has served in several leadership roles.