John Westwood Smithers Jr.

Westwood Smithers, Jr., former Executive Vice President and General Manager of Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation in Virginia, has been named Senior Vice President, General Counsel of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) effective October 17, 2005.

Smithers was Executive Vice President and General Manager for Business Operations of the Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation's Central Virginia television stations, WCVE-TV and WCVW-TV from 1999 until he joined CPB. During that time, he also served as General Counsel and Secretary to the corporation's board of directors. From 1995 until 1999, Smithers served as Vice President for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Services, directing the corporation's Central Virginia communications, broadcasting and engineering operations.

From 1986 until 1994, Smithers directed Virginia's Department of Information Technology, overseeing a 394-employee operation that provided data processing, telecommunications and information systems development services to state and local government agencies.

Smithers also served the Commonwealth of Virginia for 14 years, from 1972 through 1986. As Assistant Attorney General and later as Senior Assistant Attorney General, he provided counsel to, and representation for, sixteen state agencies in matters concerning administrative, contract, telecommunications and constitutional law.

A resident of Richmond, Virginia, West Smithers, Jr. is a graduate of the University of Richmond's T.C. Williams School of Law and Randolph-Macon College. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar, and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, U.S. District Courts, and the Virginia Supreme Court.