Jefferson Smith: Portland Social Entrepreneur on Politics, Public Service and Productivity


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"To this day, I don't know if it's one of the better or dumber things I've ever done," Jefferson Smith tells the Digital Journal.

After graduating from Harvard Law School in the top 5% of his class, Smith got a six-figure job at a powerful New York law firm.

Within the first few days, Smith made it known that there was a set of clients that would force him to "conflict out" of representing Big Tobacco.

Shortly after Smith's Smith attack of conscience, he was out of the firm.

Smith would discover that his moral compass was not misdirecting him but pointing him toward a life of service that would strengthen American democracy and make the world a better place for many folks.

Two decades later, Smith still lives in Oregon along with his wife Katy and his dog George (named after the main character in It's a Wonderful Life).

Smith is coming off a win: co-founding and selling a health tech company (Tryl) in the clinical trial space.

His greatest professional accomplishment? "I have been fortunate to be intimately involved (as a principal or co-founder) in more than a dozen worthy organizations and initiatives, most of which have lived on to thrive and evolve."

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