Kenneth Bryant Smith Sr. (February 19, 1931 – January 21, 2008) was a Chicago-area community leader and minister.
Smith was born in Montclair, New Jersey and raised as a Catholic.[1] After earning a bachelor's degree at Virginia Union University in 1953 and a master's degree from Drew University in 1954, he came to Chicago in the late 1950s to attend Bethany Theological Seminary, then located outside the city.[2] He was ordained by the United Church of Christ and began his career as an associate pastor at the Congregational Church of Park Manor.[citation needed] From there, he founded the Trinity United Church of Christ, before pastoring long-term at Church of the Good Shepherd in Washington Park.[citation needed]
From 1979 to 1982,[citation needed] he was a member of the Chicago Board of Education. On May 16, 1980, only eight months after he joined the board, the members of the board elected him to a one-year term as the board's president. He was the first black person to hold the office since it was created in 1840.[3] Smith ultimately declined to seek reelection by the board to its presidency in 1981.[4]
From 1984 to 1999 he served as president of Chicago Theological Seminary.[citation needed]
In 1996, he received the Chicago History Museum "Making History Award" for Distinction in Public Service.[citation needed]