Rev. Carlton E. Smith was the Regional Lead for the Pacific Western Region from 2021-2024. From 2013 to 2020, he was a member of the UUA Congregational Life Staff Group serving in the Southern Region. Before that, he was a parish minister serving UU congregations in Metro New York, Greater Boston, Northern Virginia and Oakland, California. Rev. Smith graduated from both Howard University's School of Business and its School of Divinity (summa cum laude). He's been a candidate for US Congress and for State Senate, both in his home state of Mississippi. Rev. Smith was a founding member of the Organizing Collective for Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. He currently serves as a Board Member for the Living Legacy Project and is a member of the Campaign Board for the LGBTQ Victory Fund.