Richard T. Smith is a native of Trenton, New Jersey.  He attended Trenton State College, currently known as the College of New Jersey, where he was a Speech Communication & Theatre Major.  In addition, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan, New York & Atlantic County College.

Richard retired on April 1, 2015, after completing a twenty-five-year career with the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Richard returned to work in January of 2016 accepting a position to serve as the Confidential Assistant to the Warden of the Cumberland County Department of Corrections.

On January 24th, 2017 the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders unanimously approved Richard to serve as the new Warden for the Cumberland County Department of Corrections – Cumberland County jail.

On October 12th– 2013 at the Annual NAACP New Jersey State Conference Convention, Richard was elected to serve as the President of the New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP. Richard was re-elected overwhelmingly at the State Convention held on October 10, 2015. In October of 2017, Richard ran unopposed and was elected to serve another two-year term.

Prior to being elected State Conference President, Richard was elected and served as the 1stVice-President & the 3rdVice President of the New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP.  Prior to being elected 1stVice-President, he served as the Southern Region Coordinator.  Additionally, he has served as the Chairman of the NJ State Conference of the NAACP Convention Planning Committee.

Richard is a silver-life member of the NAACP.

In July of 2017 at the NAACP National Convention in Baltimore, members of Region II that consist of New England, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania & Delaware voted to have Richard become a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors and was sworn-in on February 17, 2018, in New York, NY.

In March of 2004, Richard was appointed by former Governor James McGreevey and presently serves as one of the seven Commissioners on the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights. In January of 2013, he was unanimously elected by his fellow Commissioners to serve as the Commissions Chairman.

In April of 2003, he was elected to the Vineland Board of Education.  He was also elected and served on the same board from 2001-2002.  In November of 2005, he sought the Office of Freeholder for the Chosen Board of Freeholders in Cumberland County.

He is a member of the St. Matthew's Baptist Church in Williamstown, NJ, where the Reverend Dr. Raymond M. Gordon, Sr. is his Pastor.  He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., PBA Local 105, Coalition of Black Trade Unionist, Off Broad Street Players in Bridgeton, NJ, and the Downtown Company of Performing Artist.

He has been honored by numerous organizations such as, the Political Congress of Black Woman, Order of the Eastern Stars, Coalition of Black Trade Unionist, the Vineland African-American Community Development Corporation and the Grapevine Newspaper as one of Vineland, New Jersey's hometown heroes just to name a few.

Richard is married to Cici and he has three beautiful daughters, Brianna, Taylor and Zanaisha and a four-year-old son Princeton Carl Tomas Smith.

Richard is respected as a passionate, fearless freedom fighter and is wholeheartedly committed to continuing his life long fight for civil rights, equal opportunity and social justice.

Richard's favorite quote is that of the late legendary Dorothy Height who said, "Success is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition, he has encountered, and the courage with which he has maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."