Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith is a practicing Certified Public Accountant. Although he no longer has his own CPA practice, he currently works doing special projects for Excel, a construction, maintenance, fabrication, and engineering company.
Jeff is a life-long resident of Louisiana. He and his wife, Debby, live in Ascension Parish and have three children and five grandchildren. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University, the US Army Engineer Officer Basic Course and the US Army Engineer Advance Course, the US Army Command and General Staff College and various other civilian and military courses.
Col. Smith’s military career began in 1969 when he joined the Louisiana National Guard. He has commanded at all levels to include company, battalion and major command. In addition, he was the first commander of Louisiana’s Civil Support Team, Weapons of Mass Destruction Unit. While serving in the National Guard, he has responded to numerous disaster events including floods, hurricanes and civil disturbances. In 2002, Smith completed 34 years of service and reached his mandatory retirement date for active service.
Smith began his tenure with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness – GOHSEP – in August 2004, when he was appointed to be the state’s hazard mitigation officer. He was promoted to acting deputy director for emergency preparedness in December 2004. He coordinated the state’s response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, as well as several other hurricanes and tropical storms. In March 2006, the governor appointed Jeff as acting director of GOHSEP.
In civilian life, he has been a practicing certified public accountant, managing his own firm which provided accounting and consulting services to a wide variety of clients, to include local governments. He has an extensive background in all aspects of financial management.
Smith’s community activities include past president and board member of the Rotary Club of Gonzales, Ascension Chamber of Commerce and the Ascension Fund for Public Education.
