Jason W. Smith serves as the senior community development advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He leads the Rural Investment Collaborative, a new Bank initiative to improve economic improvement in small towns and rural communities. A signature focus of the Collaborative is to provide training that can help more communities develop viable proposals. The Richmond Fed is partnering with rural hubs to make this happen. Simultaneously, partners are working with national and regional funding organizations to help them increase the availability of and access to the funds needed to bring projects to life.

Prior to joining the Richmond Fed in 2021, Smith served as associate vice provost of Community Engagement at Virginia Commonwealth University and in that role developed Graduate RVA, a workforce preparation partnership that was designated a Talent Hub by the Lumina Foundation and Kresge Foundation. Smith also previously served as executive director of Bridging Richmond, a regional cradle-to-career partnership, and as a community health liaison for Bon Secours Health System.

Smith earned a doctorate in organizational leadership and learning from VCU, a Master of Divinity degree from the Baptist Seminary at Richmond, and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies from VCU. He also completed executive and continuing professional education on measurement, design and analysis Methods at Harvard University.