Steven Smith
Director of Communications
Steven A. Smith Jr. is a community-driven leader and communications professional who joined The Business Council of New York State, Inc. in August of 2026.
Prior to joining The Business Council, Steve served as the executive director at the Capital District YMCA’s Troy branch where he oversaw daily operations, financial management and community programming.
For two decades, he also served his community as a police officer. Steve started with the City of Rensselaer Police Department in 2004 and moved to the City of Albany Police Department in June 2008, where he became the Public Information Officer (PIO) in 2012, working directly with the chief and the command staff on strategic media management and community engagement.
As the PIO, Steve forged connections with reporters at the local, state, and national levels and often managed competing interests of multiple stakeholders – both internal and external. During this time, he developed skills in messaging and writing while responding to critical incidents and engaging in proactive outreach. Throughout his career, he also worked to build meaningful relationships with a wide variety of local leaders and residents, listening to concerns and helping to solve problems while improving public safety.
In 2023, Steve retired from the Albany Police Department to serve as the Director of Communications for AvPorts at Albany International Airport (ALB), the premier transportation hub in the Capital Region. There, he served as spokesperson, lead media relations, public messaging, and social media engagement.
Steve also enjoys using his creativity to create social media posts and content - including videos and photographs - that not only help promote brands, but succinctly and clearly impart important messages to followers and stakeholders.
Steve graduated from Nyack College in May 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in organizational management and in May of 2020 earned a master’s degree in public administration from Marist College.
He was a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) PIO Section and served on its membership committee. In 2020, he was selected as an IACP 40 Under 40 awardee.
Steve currently serves as on the board for the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany and was once an assembly delegate for the Public Relations Society of America’s Capital Region Chapter.