Meet Ken...
Councilman Ken Smith is a local businessman, community advocate, and father of three children, ages 10, 14, and 22. He currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Council, but has also served as Chairman of the Council for 2018-2019, and Vice-Chairman for 2017-2018. He is currently serving as chair of the Council's Legislative Committee for 2020-2021.
Councilman Smith works for Marathon Health as Vice President of Software Engineering. Prior to that, he worked for Freightwaves and The Johnson Group as their respective Chief Information Officer. He has also spent 10 years as a small business owner in Chattanooga, experiencing economic hardships, payroll challenges and budget cuts, and most of all, learning the importance of developing a strong, clear vision for getting back to the basics. Councilman Smith believes that without fully addressing critical needs, success is hindered right from the beginning.
His community involvement spans from volunteering and serving as chairman of non-profits to mentoring future leaders through Leadership Chattanooga. Councilman Smith chairs the Boards of both Re:Start - The Center for Adult Education and the Leadership Chattanooga Alumni Association; he also serves on the Boards of Directors for Chattanooga's Kids on the Block and the Friends of Hixson. His experience serving on non-profit boards and working with Leadership Chattanooga exposed him to dealing with state and locally funded budgets -- critical leadership and organizational skills needed to build consensus among multiple parties, and the importance of using limited resources to achieve the maximum impact in the community.
As a father of three children, Councilman Smith is very concerned with the future of Chattanooga. While appreciating it is a beautiful place to live and raise a family, he believes there are short and long-term needs that need to be better addressed in order for Chattanooga to reach its potential. These include managing growth and development, creating strong and vibrant neighborhoods, bringing better transparency and more accountability to city government, and addressing our critical infrastructure needs. Councilman Smith's focus will be to bring inclusive and positive leadership to the City Council by being a voice of the citizens and getting back to the basics of providing essential services to the taxpayers of Chattanooga.
Councilman Smith and his family attend Hixson United Methodist Church where his children attend Sunday School and Youth Group and his wife serves on the Education Board.
Councilman Smith works for Marathon Health as Vice President of Software Engineering. Prior to that, he worked for Freightwaves and The Johnson Group as their respective Chief Information Officer. He has also spent 10 years as a small business owner in Chattanooga, experiencing economic hardships, payroll challenges and budget cuts, and most of all, learning the importance of developing a strong, clear vision for getting back to the basics. Councilman Smith believes that without fully addressing critical needs, success is hindered right from the beginning.
His community involvement spans from volunteering and serving as chairman of non-profits to mentoring future leaders through Leadership Chattanooga. Councilman Smith chairs the Boards of both Re:Start - The Center for Adult Education and the Leadership Chattanooga Alumni Association; he also serves on the Boards of Directors for Chattanooga's Kids on the Block and the Friends of Hixson. His experience serving on non-profit boards and working with Leadership Chattanooga exposed him to dealing with state and locally funded budgets -- critical leadership and organizational skills needed to build consensus among multiple parties, and the importance of using limited resources to achieve the maximum impact in the community.
As a father of three children, Councilman Smith is very concerned with the future of Chattanooga. While appreciating it is a beautiful place to live and raise a family, he believes there are short and long-term needs that need to be better addressed in order for Chattanooga to reach its potential. These include managing growth and development, creating strong and vibrant neighborhoods, bringing better transparency and more accountability to city government, and addressing our critical infrastructure needs. Councilman Smith's focus will be to bring inclusive and positive leadership to the City Council by being a voice of the citizens and getting back to the basics of providing essential services to the taxpayers of Chattanooga.
Councilman Smith and his family attend Hixson United Methodist Church where his children attend Sunday School and Youth Group and his wife serves on the Education Board.