Richard Allen Smith

45 West 11th Avenue, Apartment 1

Denver, Colorado
910.494.7831
richard.allen.smith@gmail.com

Highlights of Qualifications:

• Vice Chairman of nation’s leading progressive pro-veteran, pro-military organization.

• Three years as a contributing editor for top military affairs/veteran website, eighteen months as editor-in-chief.

• Expert in web 2.0 communications with extensive political organization experience.

• Five years of military service as a paralegal specialist.

• Experience coordinating and organizing large scale events.

Employment History:

August 2009-Present: VoteVets Action Fund

• Serving as Vice Chairman of one of the nation's largest veterans and military advocacy organizations. Developing
messaging, field and political strategy, and overall direction for non-profit and political action committee consisting of
over 100,000 members nationwide. Previously served as Senior Advisor;

• Editor of the organization’s VetVoice political-military blog. Managed day-to-day messaging and response for
organization’s new media operation. Integrated social networking tools to increase visibility of the blog, as well as
organizational initiatives. Quantifiably increased traffic throughout tenure. Provided institutional information and
blogged from the front lines in Afghanistan for over nine months; assisted in messaging and oversight of all content on
the site;

• Coordinated with high level D.C.-based national security, advocacy and political organizations as well as
governmental entities such as Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to promote relevant military
and foreign policy issues;

• Quoted and/or linked to by such outlets as Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Washington Independent,
Countdown with Keith Olbermann, The Atlantic, The Daily Caller, Reuters, Fox News, Center for American Progress,
Talking Points Memo and others;

August 2003-July 2008: United States Army; Paralegal Specialist

· February 2007-July 2008: 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division; Unit paralegal for
battalion deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Responsible for all
military justice actions within the unit, as well as processing of Foreign Claims and development,
training and enforcement of Rules of Engagement. Also served as Battle Captain for the International
Security Assistance Force’s Theatre Tactical Reserve. Duties include assisting the Commander in
controlling troops in contact and acting as coordinator and liaison between the unit and other support
assets during Operation Achilles, the largest offensive operation in NATO history.

· February 2006-February 2007: 2nd and 4th Brigade Combat Teams, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort
Bragg, North Carolina; Served as unit paralegal for Airborne Infantry units capable of 18-hour
notification deployment to anywhere in the world. Responsible for processing all unit legal actions,
 Richard Allen Smith
45 West 11th Avenue, Apartment 1
Denver, Colorado
910.494.7831
richard.allen.smith@gmail.com

assisting in the preparation, review and filing of court documents for supervising attorneys. Lead
paralegal on several federal trials.

· May 2005-February 2006: Installation Paralegal, Camp Eagle, Korea. Served as sole legal
representative on remote installation for 750 soldiers with minimal attorney supervision. Responsible
for all legal actions within installation. Lead paralegal on high-profile case involving officer
misconduct. Received the Army Commendation Medal.

· August 2004-May 2005: Military Justice Paralegal, Area III Legal Center, Camp Humphreys, Korea.
Scheduled appointments, assisted in witness interviews and legal research for four supervising
attorneys. Processed military legal actions for command of over 10,000 soldiers. Coordinated witness
travel for trial from several stateside military installations, as well as from foreign countries and
combat zones. Prepared and reviewed court documents for supervising attorneys. Served as lead
paralegal on several federal trials.

· February 2004-August 2004: Legal Assistance Paralegal, Area III Legal Center, Camp Humphreys,
Korea; Assisted clients with wills, separation agreements, powers of attorney, claims and citizenship.
Prepared and reviewed correspondence for supervising attorney. Kept appointments and screened
clients for supervising attorney.

· August 2003-February 2004: Basic and Paralegal Training.

Additional Relevant Experience: Three years of campaign experiencing working in base-level as well as leadership
and senior staff positions in communications and field for Presidential, Congressional and State Legislative candidates.

Education:

• Bachelors of Arts, Cum Laude, Political Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville: Major in political science
with minor in History. Concentrations in international relations and American history. Member of Phi Sigma Alpha
and Alpha Lambda Delta honors societies.

• Primary Leadership Development Course: XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg Noncommissioned Officers
Academy; Leadership training. Prepared to supervise subordinates, teach and counsel, apply team development, make
sound decisions and plan effectively.

Basic Paralegal Course: United States Army Adjutant General’s School; Instruction in basic principles of paralegalism,
legal writing, and legal research.

• Basic Airborne Course: United States Army Airborne School; Instruction in basic tasks and concepts of
parachuting.

Automation Skills:

MS Office/Apple iWork Lexis-Nexus Basic Networking Skills

Mac OS HTML Extensive Social Networking Skills
Military Awards

 Army Commendation Medal  Afghanistan Campaign  Army Good Conduct

(two oak leaf clusters) Medal Medal

2
 Richard Allen Smith
45 West 11th Avenue, Apartment 1
Denver, Colorado
910.494.7831
richard.allen.smith@gmail.com

 NCO Professional  Global War on Terrorism

 National Defense Service Medal
Development Ribbon Service Medal
 Korean Defense Service Medal  NATO Medal  Army Service Ribbon
 Overseas Service Ribbon (two
 Combat Action Badge  Parachutist Badge
awards)