Donnie Smith (businessman)

Donnie Smith (born October 1959) is an American businessman from Tennessee. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Tyson Foods until 2016 (NYSE: TSN).

Donnie Smith
BornOctober 1959
Tennessee, United States
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee
OccupationBusiness Executive
SpouseTerry Smith

Early life

Donnie Smith was born in Tennessee in September 1959.[1][2] He graduated from the University of Tennessee, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science.[3] Smith is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.[4] Donnie married his wife, Terry, on December 20, 1980.[5]

Career

Smith joined Tyson Foods in 1980.[6] He worked in various positions, from broiler service rep to purchasing supplies and later into upper management positions.[5] He served as CEO from November 2009, when he succeeded Richard L. Bond to December 2016.[7][8][9] In 2012, he earned US$4.30 million.[10][11] His severance package in 2016 included $3.53 million, restricted shares and stock options and a three-year consulting agreement.[9]

Personal life

Smith is a devout Christian.[12]

In 2014, Smith and his wife Terry pledged $3.2 million to the University of Tennessee to establish the Donald and Terry Smith Endowed Chair for International Sustainable Agriculture.[3] In 2018, the Smiths funded the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.[13]

References
  1. "Tyson Foods Executive Team". Archived from the original on 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  2. Souza, Kim (2019-09-26). "Former Tyson CEO Donnie Smith focuses on family legacy". Talk Business & Politics. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  3. "Tyson Foods CEO and Wife to Give $3.2 Million to Institute of Agriculture". News. 2014-02-05. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  4. "Alpha Gamma Rho". Archived from the original on 2018-11-22. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  5. "The Fixer: Tyson Foods CEO Donnie Smith - Talk Business & Politics". Talk Business & Politics. 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  6. Tyson Foods names Donnie Smith CEO, USA Today, 11/19/2009
  7. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
  8. Emily Fredrix, Tyson Foods names Donnie Smith as CEO , The Seattle Times, November 19, 2009
  9. Melin, Anders (22 November 2016). "Tyson CEO Smith to Exit With $24 Million, $5,700-an-Hour Job". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  10. "Donald Smith". Forbes.
  11. Forbes CEO Compensation 2012
  12. Scott Killman, Tyson CEO Counts Chickens, Hatches Plan, The Wall Street Journal, September 7, 2010
  13. "Official Launch of UTIA Smith International Center, Friday, November 16". ag.tennessee.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-21.


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