FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 16, 2005

GOVERNOR BARBOUR APPOINTS SMITH TO MISSISSIPPI DENTAL BOARD

(Jackson, Miss.)—Governor Haley Barbour today announced the appointment of Dr. Robert Smith, of Hernando, to the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners. The board regulates the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene and oversees the licensing and re-registration of qualified dentists within the state.

“I feel confident that Robert will serve the citizens of Mississippi well,” Governor Barbour said. “He has extensive dentistry training and years of experience that will enable him to successfully perform his duties as a member of this board.”

Smith has practiced general dentistry for the past 23 years. He is an active member of the American Dental Association, Mississippi Academy of General Dentistry, Pierre Fauchard Dental Academy, and Academy of General Dentistry, where he earned his Fellowship in 1991. Smith was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow honor by Hernando Rotary Club, where he also served as past president. Past chairman of the Northwest Mississippi District of the Chickasaw Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Smith is also past vice president of the Hernando Area Chamber of Commerce, past member of the Hernando Park Commission, past president of Hernando American Cancer Society, and past president of Whitehaven Dental Study Club. He is a member of the Hernando Planning Commission and currently serves on the Northwest Mississippi Community College Foundation board of directors. In 1997, Smith was elected “Northwest Community College Alumnus of the Year,” and has served as president of the Northwest Community College Alumni Association since 1998.

Smith graduated from Northwest Mississippi Junior College with an associate’s degree, from Memphis State University with a bachelor’s degree, and from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center with a Doctorate of Dental Surgery. He has been married to the former Betty Byars for 30 years; together, they have one son, Trey.

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