Grasford W. Smith

Partner, Akerman, West Palm Beach

Akerman is a full-service law firm with more than 700 lawyers in 24 offices across the country. Smith’s volunteer and leadership roles in the community have included serving president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association, a member of the board of governors for the Florida State University College of Business and past president of the Black Chamber of Commerce for Palm Beach County. As president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association, he started a program called Quality of Life is the Key to Happiness, an initiative designed to empower members with a comprehensive understanding of how a balanced and fulfilling life contributes to overall well-being.

EDUCATION: Florida State University (BS), New York University (JD)

IF I WERE GOVERNOR: An intense focus on early childhood education. Numerous studies show that investments made early in education provide significant and long-lasting outcomes that raise the quality of our community in a variety of ways.

INSPIRING FLORIDIAN: My mother inspires me. She migrated to this country and worked initially as a certified nursing assistant. She went to college and eventually became a registered nurse. Thereafter, she started a home health agency while maintaining her employment as a nurse. My mother later earned a doctorate in ministry.

MOTIVATIONAL MANTRA: ‘Heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight but they while their companions slept were toiling upwards through the night.’ – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow