David Smith is an integral part of the R community. His background in computational statistics goes back to the early 90s . David has worked at Revolution R, one of the leading R companies, for nearly a decade. His name has been included in lists such as: Top 20 influencers in big data 30 most influencial Data Scientists on Twitter #3 Best Big Data Twitter account Top Big Data Executives and Experts to Follow on Twitter David Smith is a powerhouse of connections, information, and knowledge not only about the R community but also the Data Ecosystem as a whole. After having the privilege of a lovely conversation regarding the state of our industry at useR! 2014, however, I can tell you that above all things, David Smith cares about the happiness and well-being of the community he has seen flourish around him in recent years. In this wide-ranging interview, David and I talk about how he became involved in mathematical software, his transition from a statistician to his current role as Chief Community Officer at Revolution Analytics, and what that role entails.