Citizen of the Year: Jack Smith

(L->R) Howard Johnson, Harold Weinbrecht and Jack Smith. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – Congratulations to our good friend, local businessman and Cary Town Council Member Jack Smith, who received the Citizen of the Year award at the Cary Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet recently. The award is given each year to a person who has distinguished him or herself in service to the Cary community.

A Little About Jack

Jack’s a modest guy, but he does say he left Boston for Cary after NY Yankee Bucky F. Dent broke the hearts of Red Sox Nation.

Actually, Jack moved here with Data General (now EMC) in 1986. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, served in the Army (Vietnam era) rising to the rank of Captain. And, it turns out, Jack was born in Germany. From the Town of Cary website:

“Like so many who call Cary home, Jack Smith’s roots stretch far and wide. Jack grew up in Reading, PA and spent most of his adult years in and around Boston, but he was born in Furth, Germany.

Jack’s father was a US Army medic stationed in Germany as part of the occupying force that remained in Nuremburg after World War II; Jack’s mother was a volunteer at the same Army hospital.”

The Chamber honored Jack for his professional accomplishments — he is a 2001 founding partner of Organizational Capability Services, LLC, a leader in competency management practices and innovative recruitment approaches — as well as his 25 years of service to the community.

Jack’s record of public service is well known: Board of Directors for the NC Center for Voter Education, Cary Sister Cities Association, Wake County Economic Development Commission and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

As a Cary Town Council Member, he is currently serving his 6th four-year term, which includes serving as Mayor Pro Tem from 1999 – 2007.

In 2006, in Washington DC, Jack was inducted into the Local Government Leadership Circle for his efforts in promoting international understanding and goodwill by forging cross cultural Sister City relationships around the globe.

Please join us in congratulating Jack on this well-deserved honor.