A Jamaican 2010 Fulbright Scholar, Dr Smith holds a Doctor of Education degree in ed- ucational leadership and policy (with high commendation) from Howard University. He earned undergraduate and graduate de- grees with honours from Northern Caribbean University and Nova Southeastern University and received his professional training at the Mico University College in Kingston, Jamaica.

Among his professional accomplishments, Dr Smith is credited with the establishment of Belmont Academy; Jamaica’s first Centre of Excellence. He is a former Principal Director of the National College for Educational Lead- ership (NCEL) and in 2015, he was appointed as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information. Since 2017, he has served as an international ed- ucational consultant to the World Bank, UNESCO and Organization of Eastern Caribbe- an States, providing policy and technical ad- vice to governments across Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East. 

Dr Smith is a certified Performance Coach and Commonwealth Professional Fellow in Education. He is also an author and a well sought after motivational speaker who frequently ad- dresses local and international conferences on matters related to educational leadership. A recipient of numerous honours, Dr Smith’s accolades include the Governor General’s Achievement Award (2019) and the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education (2016). He is also a Justice of the Peace for the parish of Kingston. 

Since August 2019, Dr. Maurice Smith serves at The University of West Indies in the capac- ity of University Registrar/Chief Administrative Officer, overseeing a myriad of administrative duties across the regional institution.