After serving meals through a local volunteer program, Jason Smith and his two children, Claire and Carson, were walking near a busal line.
"Hey, Dad, look at those people," she said. "We helped those people."
Jason still remembers the moment clearly. Not because of the meal they served, but because of what it represented for him: a lesson taking root.
For Jason, a partner in business development leadership at Wipfli, service has never been something separate from work, leadership or family life. It is a way of showing up for people and a value that has been passed down through generations.
"We're just a giving-back family," he said.
That legacy began long before his career at Wipfli. Growing up in Winnebago, Illinois, Jason watched family members invest time, energy and resources into the community around them. Their efforts left lasting reminders, from a concession stand built in memory of one relative to a playground honoring another. Supporting local schools and community organizations was simply part of everyday life.
Today, Jason continues that tradition through volunteer leadership and civic involvement across the Rockford area.
Service in action
For innebago, IL, helping expand scholarships, support classroom technology and create opportunities for students and teachers throughout the community.
The work has helped provide resources ranging from Chromebooks and internet access during COVID-19 disruptions to grants that support collaborative learning spaces and other student needs. But when Jason talks about service, he rarely starts with accomplishments. Instead, he talks about people.
"I’m willing to stop and do things when somebody needs something," he said. That mindset shapes how he volunteers, how he works with clients and colleagues and how he leads teams.
Recently, Jason joined the Wipfli Foundation board as communications lead, helping share stories about the foundation’s impact. The role felt like a natural extension of the work he was already doing in his community and an opportunity to support causes that align with his own commitment to giving back.
Whether he is supporting the foundation, serving meals through local civic organizations or helping families recover after disasters through Team Rubicon, Jason believes caring should be visible. For him, it can be as simple as putting on a hairnet and serving a meal.
"I’m a partner at an accounting and advisory firm, and I have no problem putting the hairnet on and serving people,” he said.
That willingness to step in wherever help is needed has also shaped his leadership style. At Wipfli, Jason serves as a “player-coach,” supporting business developers across the manufacturing, retail and distribution practice while continuing to build client relationships himself. In both his professional and volunteer roles, he prefers to work alongside others, contribute where he can and help move a shared goal forward.
Community impact, he says, rarely happens through a single event. It is built over time through consistency, stewardship and a willingness to do the work that often goes unseen.
Through his years with the education foundation, Jason has helped the organization navigate changing community needs, manage fundraising initiatives and oversee the behind-the-scenes responsibilities that keep programs running and resources available for students.
Wipfli has reinforced that commitment by supporting associates who invest in their communities. Jason points to the firm’s community service initiatives, civic involvement and the Wipfli Foundation as examples of a culture that encourages people to give their time and talents where they can make a difference.
“Wipfli completely supports community involvement,” he said. “They allow us the autonomy and the time.”
Passing it forward
For Jason, however, the most meaningful measure of impact is seeing the next generation understand why those things matter. The same spirit of service that was modeled for him by his family is now being passed to his children through shared experiences and small moments of understanding.
Like a daughter recognizing the people she helped serve. For Jason, that is what lasting impact looks like: Inspiring someone else to continue the work tomorrow.
