Delaware Healthcare Association

Wayne A. Smith Named
Delaware Healthcare Association
President & CEO

Dennis E. Klima, President & CEO of Bayhealth Medical Center and Chairman of the Board of the Delaware Healthcare Association, recently announced Delaware State Representative Wayne Smith accepted the position as the new President & CEO of the Delaware Healthcare Association. “We had several excellent candidates, so our decision was challenging. However, I think Representative Smith is a wonderful and unique choice,” explained Mr. Klima. “He brings his many years of legislative and policy making experience along with his extensive knowledge of healthcare issues to this role.”

A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Representative Smith received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Delaware in 1984 (along with minors in History and Economics). He earned two masters degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988 in both Governmental Administration and Political Science (International Relations). His private sector experience has focused generally in the finance field including investment banking, corporate finance, and business development. As an Investment Banker, he pioneered direct debt placements for small and mid-sized Delaware municipalities.

He was first elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 1990 at age twenty-eight. He was made Chair of the House Revenue and Finance Committee as a freshman legislator and was elected Majority Leader, at age thirty-four, in 1996. This made him, at the time, the youngest Majority Leader in any of the nation’s state legislatures. The Delaware State Bar Association awarded him their Outstanding Legislative Service Award for 1998. The University of Delaware College of Business and Education awarded him their Outstanding Alumni Award in 1999. The University of Pennsylvania's Fels Center of Government awarded him their Outstanding Alumni Award in 2000. The National Republican Legislators Association named him their “Leader of the Year” in 2002.

Representative Smith is married to Lisa, also a graduate of the University of Delaware and holder of a B.S. degree in Human Resources. She also is a 1983 graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology. They have four children, Olivia, Brad, Ben, and Jack.

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Contact Us:

Delaware Healthcare Association

1280 S Governors Avenue

Dover, DE 19904-4802

Phone: (302) 674-2853

This page is to act as a resource.  If there is something you would like to see added to this page, please contact Christine Pauley at christinep@deha.org with the information.  Thank you.