Tom “Smitty” Smith is currently the executive director of the Texas Electric Transportation Alliance (TxETRA), an Alliance of vehicle manufacturers, dealers, utilities, environmentalists and consumer groups that are working together to develop and promote the policies needed to electrify the Texas transportation system.
Smith retired in 2017 as director of Public Citizen’s Texas office, after 31 years. Public Citizen is one of the state’s best-known consumer, environmental, energy and ethics advocacy organizations.
Over the years Smitty testified in front of the Texas legislature and US Congress more than 1,000 times.
His most notable accomplishments include:
- helping to start Texas’ renewable energy boom by organizing citizens, businesses and developing policies,
- creating the Texas Emissions reduction program, and
- ethics reforms.
Smith and his organization received more than 2 dozen awards and recognitions for this work.
In previous careers, Smitty has also headed up an anti-hunger advocacy group, and worked at legal aid as a paralegal.
