Dr. Jeffery O. Smith
Dana B. Hamel Award Recipient
Superintendent, Hampton City Schools
Dr. Jeffery Smith has been the superintendent of Hampton City Schools since July 15, 2015. He previously served as the superintendent of the Town of West Point Public Schools for seven years.
Under his leadership, academic success in HCS has reached its highest levels in decades. All 32 schools and centers became fully accredited without conditions for the first time in 2019. The on-time graduation rate increased to 97.64% for the class of 2022 and the dropout rate decreased to 0.62%. Dr. Smith co-chairs the Academies of Hampton’s operating and steering committees, transforming four high schools into 16 wall-to-wall academies with 44 offered career pathways, preparing students to be college, career, and life ready.
Additionally, the school division has strengthened its dual enrollment program with Virginia Peninsula Community College. The program has enabled 25,443 students to earn dual enrollment credits since 2015.
He is a member of multiple boards, including Sentara Healthcare, Smart Beginnings of the Virginia Peninsula, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, and C&F Bank, among others. He has also received various awards, including the 2020 Virginia Superintendent of the Year and the 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Leader by the Urban League of Hampton Roads.
Dr. Smith and his wife, the former Lorianne Samuel of Caroline County, have two children – a daughter who is a Christopher Newport University and Eastern Virginia Medical School graduate and a son who is a Bridgewater College graduate.