Underserved
Harnessing the Principles of Lincoln's Vision for Reconstruction for Today's Forgotten Communities

About Ja'Ron Smith

Ja'Ron Smith served in several roles at the White House, including deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy, deputy director for the Office of American Innovation, and director of urban affairs and revitalization for the White House Domestic Policy Council. During that time, his work included leading the legislative effort around criminal justice reform and the First Step Act, authoring executive orders and other impactful initiatives on issues related to safe policing and access to capital for minority-owned businesses. He also served as chief policy strategist for enactment of the Opportunity Zones provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Smith was a key negotiator in helping to secure permanent funding for HBCUs under the FUTURE Act. Prior to his post at the White House, he worked for Senator Tim Scott and served on the staff of the House Committee on Financial Services, the Republican Study Committee, the House Republican Conference under then Representative Mike Pence, and the office of Representative J. C. Watts. Smith is the former executive director of the Thurgood Marshall Foundation's Center for Advancing Opportunity. Ja'Ron is currently a partner at Dentons Global Advisors and Senior Fellow for Right on Crime. He holds a BBA from Howard University, and a Master of Divinity from the Howard School of Divinity. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha.