Joe Smith

Joe Smith is a semi-retired lawyer, whose experience in addition to the private practice of law includes serving as an elected District Attorney, Executive Director of a multi-state economic development commission, Executive Assistant to the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, member of the Oregon House, Administrative Assistant to a United States Congressman, and senior consultant for a large company providing effectiveness training to private and governmental agencies. He is presently on the Oregon State Aviation Board and the board of The Bus Project, and just finished a two year term as president of the Oregon Pilots' Association. He has represented Multnomah County on the Port of Portland's Citizen’s Noise Advisory Committee since early 2007. Joe’s first active work for the Party came as a university student in the 1956 presidential campaign. He has since served many times on the state Central Committee, including once as chair; as a member of the DNC Rules Committee when he represented Oregon on the DNC; three times on the national Platform Committee, and many County party positions. He’s been elected four times to represent Oregon at national conventions, and he addressed the 1980 convention in support of his resolution against deployment of the MX missile, which was nearly adopted despite opposing speeches by the Speaker of the House, the Secretary of Defense, and a three star general. He's proudly and happily married to State Chair Meredith Wood Smith, has four sons (one of whom, Jefferson, represents east Portland in the Oregon legislature), and thoroughly enjoys his three delightful grandchildren.