Chief of Staff Shaye Smith is a native Mississippian who grew up in Soso. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Mississippi, and master’s degrees in marriage and family counseling and religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, she spent most of the next two decades primarily focused on raising her two children. She had stints working in the nonprofit world, as well as occasional freelance work in writing and editing, along the way.

Shaye lives in Clinton with her husband, where they are enjoying their empty nest, surrounded by what sometimes seems like entirely too many animals. She loves a good story, and can often be found during her free time reading a novel or binging a TV series.

At the Mississippi Free Press, Shaye coordinates operations and assists the publisher and the executive director. Email her at shaye@mississippifreepress.org.