Boys & Girls Club Blog

October 2, 2026

We’re excited to welcome Dean Smith to the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh Board of Directors!

Dean has served the City of Oshkosh since January 2016, when he was sworn in as the city’s 22nd Police Chief. With more than 37 years of experience in law enforcement, Dean spent 26 years in Suffolk, Virginia, where he retired as Deputy Chief of Police before making his way to Oshkosh. Throughout his career, Dean has made it a priority to build strong relationships and find solutions at the local level. He has worked to support the mental health and resiliency of law enforcement officers while also developing programs that strengthen connections between officers, residents, businesses and the broader community.

That commitment to community has included a longstanding relationship with the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh. Dean and the Oshkosh Police Department have supported Club initiatives designed to foster positive relationships between youth and law enforcement, and Dean has personally volunteered his time with Club programming during the holidays and helped evaluate Club members participating in Club Kid of the Year. For Dean, joining the Club’s Board is a natural extension of the work he has already been doing in our community.

“Service to the community has been a part of my life my whole professional career,” Dean shared. “I have seen the results of children and families who were not receiving a fair shake in life. Children who, not by any act of their own, may not receive the same opportunities as others. I would like to be a small part in helping change that.”

Dean sees the Club as an important part of that change, providing youth with leadership opportunities, life skills, basic needs and, perhaps most importantly, a place where they can build confidence and find success.

“I am in a unique position to continue the relationship that the police department has with the Boys & Girls Club and be a role model for the kids so that they see police officers in a positive light,” he said.

Dean holds associate and bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and law enforcement administration from Herzing University. He is also a graduate of the University of Richmond’s Professional Executive Leadership School and the FBI National Academy, 209th Session.

We’re grateful for Dean’s continued investment in Oshkosh youth and families and excited to have his experience, perspective and passion for service represented on our Board.

At the end of the day, Dean says his “why” is pretty simple: “It’s really about the kids and building into their successes.” And we couldn’t agree more.