View District 2 News
About Shelia Smoot
Commissioner Shelia Smoot is the first African-American female and the youngest person to ever serve on the five-member Jefferson County Commission. The Commissioner currently oversees the Department of Information Technology, Land Development, Inspection Services, and Office of Senior Citizens Services where she and her staff continue to champion projects that reinforce her belief in Proverbs 31: 8-9 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly: defend the rights of the poor and needy."
In her first term, Commissioner Smoot oversaw the Roads and Transportation Department, along with the county’s Community, Economic and Workforce Development Department. She was at the helm in establishing a county film commission and the Jefferson County Greenway Commission.
She also created the team which established the Jefferson County’s first major Brownfield – the Titusville Redevelopment Project and attracted Wachovia Bank’s 400 million dollar data center to Jefferson County. She is an advocate for affordable senior housing in her community. These and more earned Commissioner Smoot the National Black County Official of the Year Award in 2006.
The Commissioner currently serves on boards both nationally and locally but is most proud of her volunteer service with Boy Scouts of America, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP, The Urban League and the Jaycees in both Michigan and Alabama. She is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
She serves as Second Vice Chairperson of the Alabama Democratic Conference and she is on the Executive committee of the Alabama Democratic Party. The Commissioner is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham (2000) and Leadership Alabama (2004).
In 2004 and 2008, she served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Additionally, she also served on the Legislative Committee of the Alabama County Commission Association and currently serves on their Board of Directors. She is the former Southern Regional Director for the National Association of Black County Officials and currently the President of the organization.
Before entering politics, Commissioner Smoot worked as an award-winning anchor and investigative journalist known for her hard-hitting “Six on Your Side” investigative reports. She hosted her own weekly statewide program, “Know Your Rights with Shelia Smoot.” Commissioner Smoot currently hosts a radio show on WAGG called "Shelia Smoot on Your Side."
The Commissioner is a former Alabama Associated Press board member, former Regional Director for the National Association of Black Journalists, and former president of the Birmingham Association of Black Journalists. She also served as a Minority Fellow for the Investigative Reporters and Editors.
Commissioner Smoot holds a bachelor’s Degree in Telecommunications from Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan. She was born in Flint Michigan. Her parents are Alabama natives who left their home state to work in the auto industry.
Contact Information:
Jefferson County Commission
Jefferson County Courthouse
716 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd North - Suite 250
Birmingham, AL 35203
Phone: (205) 325-5074
Fax: (205) 325-4878