Velma Smith joined Pew's Environment Group in 2008. Velma is a member of the Government Relations team, supporting a range of programs including public lands and mining reform, protection of Arctic resources and reform of industrial animal agriculture.

Prior to coming to Pew, Velma was a senior advisor with the National Environmental Trust, where she worked on issues including water pollution, regulation of mining and cleanup of hazardous wastes. Prior to her work at NET, Velma worked as Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, land use planner with Loudoun County, Virginia, and legislative assistant for Congressman Rick Boucher, handling environmental, energy and science matters. Velma has been a member of the Environmental Protection Agency's National Drinking Water Advisory Committee, the National Research Council's Committee on Small Water Supply Systems, and the Office of Technology Assessment's Advisory Committee on Agrichemical Contamination of Groundwater. She also served on the Virginia State Water Control Board.

Velma has a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Virginia and a BA in journalism from the University of Georgia.