The National Association of Urban Bankers, Washington, appointed Debbie A. Smith as its new executive director. She fills a position that has been vacant for several years.
"The appointment of an executive director adds a new dimension to NAUB," Sheila Crawford, president, said of Ms. Smith, who will run the group's administrative staff in the nation's capital. "Our new executive director comes to us with the experience and skills necessary to help our organization move forward."
The association is a nonprofit group of minority professionals in the banking industry and related fields.
As executive director, Ms. Smith's primary focus will be developing alternative revenue sources, public relations, and management of the association's national office.
Most recently, Ms. Smith served as vice president of the National Association of Investment Companies.
A native Washingtonian and former member of that city's chapter of the National Association of Urban Bankers, she has been a bank officer specializing in commercial, corporate, and government contracts lending at both Riggs National Bank and Signet Bank.
Ms. Smith also served as staff director for the House small-business subcommittee on minority enterprise, finance, and urban development.
"I'm honored to be named executive director of the National Association of Urban Bankers," Ms. Smith said, adding that she looks forward "to the challenge of enhancing the national presence of the association and working closing with the board of directors to further its mission and goal."
