Newly elected President of the Royal School of Church Music in America, Michael Smith is the Minister of Music at St. Thomas’ Church, Whitemarsh, located outside of Philadelphia. There he oversees a semi-professional adult choir and a chorister program. Through the church’s musical repertoire, he has worked to amplify the voices of women and BIPOC composers while honoring the church’s Anglican musical heritage. Prior to this appointment, he had a twelve year career in teaching and administration for private schools, including Shipley School in Philadelphia and Groton School in Massachusetts. Concurrently, he served a variety of parishes on a part-time basis and values the experiences of working with small, medium, and large parishes everywhere on the liturgical spectrum.  He is a frequent clinician for workshops and hymn festivals. Michael’s goals for RSCMA include strengthening and supporting the summer residencies, increasing the value of the organization to its members, and amplifying diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization. Michael earned his undergraduate degree in organ performance at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He went on to earn graduate degrees in organ and conducting at Yale University.