NHTSA Event | Guest Bios

Latest Event

Click It or Ticket Campaign Event

May 20, 2025

Chief Pamela Smith

Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department

Pamela A. Smith is the chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department and has more than 27 years of law enforcement experience. She began her career with the United States Park Police and served in field offices including San Francisco, New York, Atlanta and Washington, DC, before being promoted to chief of the United States Park Police in 2021. 

Smith emphasizes traffic enforcement including traffic compliance checkpoints to deter various traffic violations. She is known for her law enforcement commitment and advocacy, leadership, and her skillful passion to forge relationships within the agency and across the communities she serves. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She also earned a graduate certificate in criminal justice education from the University of Virginia.
 

Christy King

Founder, Christopher King Foundation

Christy King is the founder and executive director of the Christopher King Foundation, which she started after a crash that killed her 18-year-old son Christopher. He was riding in the backseat of a convertible when the driver crashed in a ditch. Christopher was the only one not wearing a seat belt — and the only one killed. Determined to save lives, Christy has championed safe driving education and successfully advocated for the Christopher King Seat Belt Law, a Virginia state law signed in 2025, requiring adults to buckle up in every seat. She partners with leading safety organizations and recently invited two of Christopher’s close friends to speak, keeping his spirit alive through their voices. Christy’s work has earned her multiple honors, including the John T. Hanna Award, the YOVASO Partnership Award, and the Virginia DMV Traffic Safety Award. Her mission: to turn loss into life-saving change.