Jeff Smith represents the 4th District, which lies in St. Louis City.

Jeff teaches political science as an adjunct at Washington University. He has also taught at Dartmouth College and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Jeff - who teaches courses covering Congress, public policy, race in American politics, and election campaigns - received the Washington University Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence.

Improving urban education is Jeff's passion. In 2001, along with Susan Uchitelle and Sarah Smith he co-founded the Confluence Academies, a group of urban public charter schools. Jeff, who serves on the Confluence Board of Directors, has created programs to increase parental involvement. Jeff also serves on the Missouri Charter Public School Association's Board of Directors.

Jeff has also worked in the St. Louis Public Schools as an evaluator, taught ACT prep courses for disadvantaged students, and consulted for the Vashon Compact, a nonprofit focused on improving achievement at ten of the city's lowest-performing schools.

If urban education is Jeff's passion, then youth sports are his pastime. He coaches a basketball team at Matthews-Dickey Boys Club, and coached basketball camps for ten summers. He has coached youth soccer and baseball, and mentored several area student-athletes. Jeff serves on the Board of Directors of St. Louis Scores, a non-profit bringing soccer and creative writing to inner-city youth.

Jeff has worked tirelessly to foster interracial cooperation. He serves on the Board of Directors of the National Conference for Community and Justice, a group devoted to fighting bigotry. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Cultural Leadership, which teaches black and Jewish students about each group's history in order to build bridges between them.

During graduate school, Jeff served as political analyst for KMOV-TV and the BBC. He advised several Democratic candidates, ranging from state legislative to presidential aspirants, including Bill Bradley and Howard Dean.

Recently named a rising star by St. Louis magazine, Alive magazine, and the Riverfront Times, Jeff is a member of the 2006-07 class of Leadership St. Louis.

Jeff was a National Merit Scholar at the University of North Carolina, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a double major in African-American Studies and Political Science. He received an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Washington University.

Jeff is the son of Stephen and Phyllis Smith, and has one sibling, Andy.