Tommy Smith was born in Memphis, TN to Tommy E. Smith, Sr. and Alma N. Smith. His family eventually moved to Oakland California, where he and his five siblings grew up. After Graduating from Skyline High School, he briefly attended Cal Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo, CA. He accepted a position as a draftsman and percussionist in a band until he accepted the Lord and give his life to Christ in 1977. At this time, Tommy joined Community Church of God in Christ, pastured by Elder Arthur J. Pugh.
In October, 1977, Tommy began a temporary assignment at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Two years later, he became a full time Lab employee, and in 1984 became the only Black male in the history of the Lab to win the Laboratory’s Undergraduate Technical Scholarship competition. Tommy regur5ned to college and received his engineering degree from San Francisco State University in 1985, and began working on missile defense systems at the Lab. This work culminated in his receiving a patent as the lead inventor of an Electron Energy Spectrometer (U.S. Patent no. 5,017,779). Tommy continued working on Lab engineering projects until he became the Laboratory’s director of Affirmative Action and Diversity in 1994. In this role, he has been responsible of helping to ensure that the Laboratory complies with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action regulations, and for leading the Laboratory’s workforce diversity efforts. Two aspects of this position that Tommy has found particularly gratifying and ministry-related are: helping people to reconcile difference across racial and cultural divides, and outreach efforts to include Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Lab’s research and development activities.
Tommy acknowledged his call to the ministry while attend Community COGIC. He was ordained in the Church of God in Christ in 1981, and eventually served as the assistant pastor for Community. In 1987, Tommy united with Palma Ceia Baptist Church and became active in the Business and Professional Circle before joining Palma Ceia’s ministry team. Tommy was later ordained into the Baptist denomination b Rev. Charles F. Bennett, founding pastor of Palma Ceia. In 1993, he was named by Pastor Bennett as his successor at his first retirement and briefly served as interim pastor at that time until Pastor Bennett resumed the pastorate later that year. Tommy began serving as co-interim pastor of Palma Ceia along with Rev. Ronald Coleman after Pastor Bennett’s official retirement in 1998. After much prayer and a close but unsuccessful election at Palma Ceia, Tommy left Palma Ceia in 2000. The Smith’s began attend South Bay community Church in 2002, under the leadership of Pastor Stanley B. Long. Tommy eventually became a member of South Bay’s Pastoral Team, preaching occasionally and heading the Christian Maturity Ministry. Tommy and his family were active members of South Bay until leaving in March 2009 to again serve as interim Pastor of Palma Ceia. On July 10, 2011, Tommy was elected as Pastor of Palma Ceia Baptist Church.
Tommy and his wife Sandra have been married for 21 years, and have three children; Alexandria, Ayanna and Thomas. Tommy’s daughter from his first marriage Tomika Lynn Smith (a graduate of Dillard University) lives in Memphis, TN with her daughter, Tamia. Tommy‘s nephew Jonathan, whom they raised from age 12-18, is a navy veteran and resides in San Diego, CA.
Tommy is author of “In Spirit and in Truth – Rediscovering the Message of Jesus” and a co-author of “The Diversity Calling: Building Diverse Communities One Story at a time.”
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© 2011 Palma Ceia Baptist Church |
