Dr. Thurston Smith, DMIN, LAC-S, MPA, CCS, currently serves as an administrative and program surveyor for CARF International, a nonprofit accreditor of health and human service agencies that aims to improve the quality of services and outcomes for individuals served, and is a former Associate Professor of Psychology and Sociology at Graceland University. Dr. Smith currently serves as chairman of the African American Healthcare Access and Recovery Coalition. A civic leader possessing a broad range of expertise in the areas of public policy, behavioral health, criminal justice, and organizational leadership, Dr. Smith has a distinguished service history replete with numerous honors and public service appointments.
With an over 30-year service history on the municipal, county, state, and federal levels, Dr. Smith is a retired executive-career field civil servant of the U.S. Veterans’ Health Administration, where he has served in a variety of leadership roles throughout his civil service career, including: congressional liaison, addiction treatment program manager, and supervisor of therapeutic and supported employment services programs. He’s an ordained minister, licensed clinical practitioner, and clinical supervisor, and holds advanced credentialing in counseling and civic leadership. Dr. Smith earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Capella University School of Public Service Leadership and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Community Witness and Social Justice at Memphis Theological Seminary.
His contributions to the public good are extensive, and he’s been a sought-after subject-matter expert, presenter, panelist, and professional advisor for a number of public agencies and universities, which include: the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Treasury Department, U.S. State Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District, U.S. Courts, the Health Resources Services Administration, Medical University of South Carolina, Rutgers University, University of Memphis, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Capella University, and others.
A tireless advocate for improving access to services in marginalized communities, he is a founding member of the NAADAC Critical Issues in the Black Community Committee. His contributions to the health and human services industry also include his gubernatorial appointments to the Charleston/Dorchester Mental Health Board, Charleston County Foster Care Review Board, and appointment as the South Carolina Liaison to the Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center (SEATTC) at Morehouse School of Medicine. He’s also served as an advisor and subject-matter expert for the Center of African American Recovery Development (CAARD), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Shelby County Commission, and in 2022, was appointed by the Shelby County Mayor as chairman of the mayor’s Healthcare Access Committee.
Dr. Smith has provided oral testimony before the Tennessee Legislative Black Caucus on matters pertaining to juvenile justice reform and the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute on criminal justice reform. He was also selected to serve as a Project Team Member for the Provincial Government of Western Cape in their strategic redress of substance abuse treatment and prevention in Cape Town, South Africa, and also served as a delegate in a humanitarian educational exchange to Colombia, South America, funded by the U.S. Department of State. He’s served three terms on the Tennessee Community Resource Board (TCRB) of the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC), three terms on the Shelby County Juvenile Justice Consortium (CJJC), and is a former reentry and sanctions center case manager for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) in Washington, D.C.
Commensurate with his strong commitment to public advocacy, through joint proclamation, Dr. Smith was honored by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, Shelby County Mayor, Tennessee House of Representatives, Tennessee Senate, and Tennessee Governor for outstanding public service and is the recipient of the 2019 Tennessee Governor’s Volunteer Star Award. Upon fulfilling a three-year Federal Advisory Committee appointment with the U.S. Treasury Department, he also received the 2020 Presidential Volunteer Service Award.