SNOW HILL — John (Dale) Smack III of Snow Hill was recently appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan as the Chief Judge for the Worcester County Orphans’ Court.

Smack, 48, is serving in his third term as an Orphans’ Court Judge and, in the November 2014 general election, received the most votes of all the candidates for Orphans’ Court Judge. He was recently elected President of the Maryland Association of Judges of the Orphans’ Court. Last year the Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals appointed Smack as a member of the Conference of Orphans’ Court Judges and he continues to serve in that position.

Smack is a 27-year veteran of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and serves as the Chief Deputy Sheriff. His community involvement includes being a current member of the Board of Directors for Shore Up, Inc., Diakonia, Citizens for Decent Housing and Vice-President of St. Paul United Methodist Church Men’s Ministry in Berlin. He is the Past-President of the Worcester County Developmental Center.