NASCA Announces Tara C. Smith as an Alternate on its Executive Committee

LEXINGTON, Ky – The National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) announced the election of Tara C. Smith  as an Alternate on its Executive Committee.  

Governor Jay Inslee appointed Tara C. Smith as Director of the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) in September 2021. As a member of the Governor’s Executive Cabinet, Tara drives the mission of DES to strengthen the business of government. 

With more than 800 employees, DES delivers cost-effective central support services throughout state and local governments so they can focus on their core missions.  Tara oversees DES’s $280 million operating budget, and a capital program of $1.2 billion through many different programs, including centralized procurement, facilities management, real estate services, printing and mailing, surplus operations, public works capital projects, risk management, fleet services, workforce support and development, care and custody of the country’s largest state capitol campus, and the support of dozens of small state agencies.  

“I am honored to serve on the NASCA Executive Committee as an Alternate,” said Director Tara Smith.  “As state government leaders, we are always challenged to do more with less, and I’m excited to serve with an organization that plays such an integral role in supporting state leaders to drive transformative change. This role is a natural extension of my leadership work and commitment to creating collaborative spaces with national peers.” 

Tara has more than 20 years of leadership and management experience in the public sector. Prior to coming to Washington, Tara was the Director of the Internal Services Department for Miami-Dade County, where she led one of the county’s largest operational agencies. She spearheaded the first social infrastructure public-private partnership project in the southeast region and established the county’s first public-private partnership office for future development of critical social infrastructure.   

She earned her bachelor’s degree and Master of Public Administration from Florida International University, where she was awarded the Public Service Distinguished Alumni Award. 

Smith is active in her community, serving on the  Board of Directors for Girl Scouts of Western Washington, as well as a Girl Scout troop leader in Puyallup.  She and her partner also volunteer together for a number of different community based organizations. 

For more information about NASCA, please visit www.nasca.org.