BRIGHTON — Tribal Council voted 5-0 to appoint Jarrid Smith to the Seminole Tribal Gaming Commission during the Aug. 14 Council meeting on Brighton Reservation. Chairman James E. Billie nominated Smith for the four-year term.

“It’s an honor to be considered and a challenge,” Smith said. “It’s a good thing – and the challenge is to be prepared and ready for it.”

The Seminole Tribal Gaming Commission is the regulatory body of Seminole Gaming. The five-member commission sets the rules and regulations for fair play on the gaming floor to maintain the integrity of the casinos and to protect casino assets.

Smith, of the Big Cypress Reservation, graduated from Florida Atlantic University with bachelor’s degrees in political science and multicultural studies in 2007 and 2008. He earned his master’s in communications in 2010.

Smith was a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow for the Executive Office of the Governor, an adjunct professor at Miami Dade College and Broward College, and an instructional aide at Ahfachkee School. He currently teaches economics at Hollywood Hills High School.

Smith replaces Marcellus Osceola Sr., whose term expired July 30.

“Jarrid Smith is welcomed and he’s joining the commission at a very, very important time for gaming and the commission,” said Gaming Commission Chairman Allen Huff, of the Brighton Reservation. “We have compiled a lot of data and things we have done through the commission to keep the integrity of the games. We welcome Jarrid because he’s going to have view points from the younger generation.”