Jaap Smit

Jaap Smit (born 8 March 1957) is a Dutch preacher, manager, trade unionist and government official serving as the King's Commissioner of South Holland since 2014. A member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), he previously led the Christian National Trade Union Federation (CNV) from 2010 to 2014.

Biography Smit was born in 't Harde, Gelderland in 1957. He went to the Dr. W.A. Visser 't Hooft lyceum in Leiden between 1970 and 1976. He studied theology at Leiden University between 1976 and 1983 with side courses in masscommunication and public relations. In 1979 he already returned to his former lyceum to teach courses in religion and life stance, he continued until 1984. In that year he became a preacher at the Dutch Reformed Church in Ellecom, where he stayed on for four years.

He then became a mental caretaker in the Dutch Army at Seedorf, Lower Saxony in Germany, also for four years. In 1992 he again became a preacher at the Dutch Reformed Church, this time in Heemstede. He stayed on until 1997.

At the start of his term he said he would focus on making the province level of government more visible and ensuring that trust of the population would be made a priority.