In 2004, Smith worked as a special assistant to National Park Service Director Fran P. Mainella.

In that role, according to a 2006 inspector general report, Smith "unduly influenced" deliberations by officials at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in helping Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder cut down 130 trees on a Park Service-protected easement to improve his view of the Potomac River.

Two weeks later, on January 24, 2018, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke named Smith as acting director of the National Park Service.

[2] During a government shutdown in January 2019, Smith announced that visitor fees typically saved for future projects would be used to keep the most visited national parks functioning instead.

[5] On September 30, 2019, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt reassigned Smith to lead efforts to celebrate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence on July 4, 2026.