Gregory B. Smith, Associate Director, National Security and Records Verification (Acting)
A native son of Downeast coastal Maine, Mr. Smith received a BA degree (magna cum laude) in Political Science from Tufts University and an MA degree in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy. He was the winner of the Dean Robert Stewart Award and the Crown Zellerbach Fellowship while at The Fletcher School. Mr. Smith enlisted in the US Army in 1969. Following completion of Engineering Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army Reserve. Upon completion of Intelligence School at Fort Holabird, Maryland, Mr. Smith served in Military Intelligence with the US Army Security Agency until 1972. Following Vietnam era service, Mr. Smith worked for ten years with public policy and futures research programs in national organizations concerned with the school to work transition, lifelong learning, women and work, and strategies for strengthening the human capital of the American workforce.
Mr. Smith entered the Federal Civil Service in 1982 with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Department of Health and Human Services where he was responsible for discretionary program development and evaluation. He served for a year as Acting Chief of the Legislation & Immigration Planning Unit of the Community Relations Service, US Department of Justice. In 1985 he joined the Immigration & Naturalization Service, US Department of Justice as INS’ first policy analyst for refugee and asylum affairs. From June 1986 until July 1987, he served as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commissioner of INS. He continued with INS - until its abolishment by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 - in a variety of field operations positions including:
Mr. Smith was responsible for law enforcement intelligence, investigations, deterrence liaison and host government training, and immigration services programs of the INS in each of these positions. In Manila he was responsible for overseeing INS operations in the Philippines and 16 other Pacific countries and dependencies and in Mexico for the 42 country Latin America and Caribbean Region as well as Mexico-US border issues. In Rome, he was responsible for overseeing INS enforcement and services operations within the 129 country jurisdiction of the Rome District in Africa, Europe, Russian Federation, Central and South Asia and the Middle East. On August 8, 2004, Mr. Smith entered on duty as USCIS Eastern Regional Director, headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont. In November 2006, Mr. Smith was selected into the Senior Executive Service. In May 2007, Mr. Smith began service as the Associate Director for National Security and Records Verification at USCIS Headquarters.
Mr. Smith is a 2007 graduate of Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government Program on National and International Security for Senior Executives, and a 1998 graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society program. He is the recipient of the Commissioner’s Challenge Award for Strengthening Border Enforcement & Facilitation, and the US Marshals Service Director’s Special Commendation Award – only the third given to a non-US Marshals Service recipient to that time.
He is married to Fraya Valenzuela Bock, originally of Chile and has two sons, the elder, Alesandro, an Air Force Major and 1998 graduate of the US Air Force Academy and the younger, Pablo, a Coast Guard Lieutenant and May 2003 graduate of the US Coast Guard Academy. Passions: family, tennis, 19th & 20th century history, Italian coffee, lobster boats, and government service as if people matter.