Heifer Board of Directors

C. Douglas Smith, Mechanicsville, Virginia

Currently serving as Chair of the Board, Doug is a member of the Executive Committee and the Heifer International Foundation Board of Trustees. He is a covenant agency representative for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Professionally, Doug is the Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy working to "build a more just and compassionate Commonwealth" on behalf of a unique Christian, Jewish, and Islamic partnership.

As an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Doug has served as a pastor, church builder, coordinator of mission volunteers, and consultative staff with Week of Compassion, the relief and development fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since 1999. He was formerly on staff with the World Council of Churches in Geneva, and was Senior Web Strategist FaithandValues.com.

Doug is a graduate of James Madison University (B.S.), Lexington Theological Seminary (M.Div.). He was named a Sorensen Fellow by the University of Virginia and the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership program.

He has been on the Heifer International Board of Directors since 1999. He is also a former member of the World Council of Churches' US Decade to Overcome Violence Committee planning events focused on reconciliation and non-violence, sits on the board of the Virginia Fair Trial Project, and is an active participant in Rotary International. He was recently named one of James Madison University's "World Changers" among alumni, professors, and students; the Top 40 under 40 in Richmond, Virginia by Style Weekly; and accepted the Richmond History Makers award from the Valentine History Museum in 2007.

When not working, Doug and his wife, Cindy, live in Mechanicsville, Virginia, where they enjoy gardening, searching for the hidden vineyards of Virginia, and enjoying life.