Kese Smith supervises day-to-day public relations for the Kinder Institute of Urban Research, working closely with internal teams and Rice University’s Office of Public Affairs. Prior to joining Rice University, he spent 16 years at the Houston Police Department as a media liaison and ultimately oversaw the department’s communications and community engagement teams. He also spent almost 20 years in television news, covering local and national stories as a field producer, videographer, newscast producer and newsroom manager. He holds a master’s degree in communication and bachelor’s degrees in journalism and radio/television, all from the University of Houston.