Daniel B. Smith retired from the Foreign Service with the highest rank of Career Ambassador.  He served as the State Department’s Transition Director in the most recent presidential election and subsequently as Acting Secretary and Acting Deputy Secretary of State in the early months of the Biden Administration.  He also served as chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Mission in India prior to his retirement. 

Ambassador Smith was appointed as Director of the Foreign Service Institute in October 2018.  In that capacity, he served as the Chief Learning Officer for the Department of State and the federal foreign affairs community. He served previously as Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research from 2013 to 2018 and as Ambassador to Greece from 2010 to 2013.  He has also served as Executive Secretary of the State Department, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs. In addition to Greece and India, his overseas service included tours in Bern, Istanbul, Ottawa, and Stockholm. He also taught Political Science at the U.S. Air Force Academy. 

Ambassador Smith is a recipient of the Arnold L. Raphel Memorial Award, the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award, a Presidential Distinguished Service Award, and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal. 

Ambassador Smith received his Ph.D. and M.A. from Stanford University, and his B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.