Cabinet

Secretary of Education

Dr. Jeffery O. Smith was appointed in January 2026 as the Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia by Governor Spanberger. He most recently served as the Executive Director and CEO of the Virginia Air and Space Science Center. With more than 32 years of service as a public-school educator, he spent 15 years as a superintendent, including seven years in West Point and eight in Hampton City Schools (HCS). Under his leadership, HCS reached historic milestones: for the first time, all 29 schools earned full accreditation without conditions, graduation rates rose from 88% to nearly 98%, and dropout rates declined from 5.1% to less than 1%. The school division strengthened its dual enrollment program with the Virginia Peninsula Community College, which during his tenure as the superintendent, yielded students earning over 25,000 dual enrollment credits and 100 high school graduates earned an associate degree as a part of their high school educational pursuit. He co-chaired the nationally recognized Academies of Hampton, which expanded career pathways and positioned Hampton as Virginia’s first Ford Next Generation Learning Community.

Dr. Smith’s leadership has been honored at local, state, and national levels. He was named the Region II Superintendent of the Year, the 2020 Virginia Superintendent of the Year, one of four finalists for AASA National Superintendent of the Year, and he received the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) Mary Peake Award for Education Equity. In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly bestowed upon Dr. Smith Resolution No. 208, and the House of Delegates Resolution 164, which recognized his dedicated service and the academic achievements realized by the students while serving as the superintendent of Hampton City Schools. Additional recognitions include the Peninsula Humanitarian Award, Hampton’s Distinguished Citizen Medal, Hampton University’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Citizenship, and the Exchange Club’s Distinguished Virginian Award. Upon his retirement, the Hampton City School Board named the state-of-the-art science wing at Kecoughtan High School the Dr. Jeffery O. Smith Science Wing in his honor.

Dr. Smith’s civic engagement has been and remains one of continued leadership to include the following boards: past member of the Board of Trustees for the Williamsburg Health Foundation, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and the Sentara Health Board of Directors.

Dr. Smith is married to a fellow educator who he describes as his best friend, Dr. Lorianne Smith, and they are the proud parents of two blessed and amazing children.