Donnie Smith’s passion for leadership marks his 36-year career in the food business. As president and CEO of Tyson Foods from 2009 to 2016, he led the company to focus on feeding the world great, affordable food, making a positive difference in people’s lives.
Under Smith’s leadership, Tyson Foods achieved four straight years of record profits and multiplied stock value six times in seven years. He joined the company in 1980 and worked to learn every angle of the business, from poultry operations to logistics to food safety. He became senior group vice president of poultry and prepared foods in 2009. The same year he was appointed as president and CEO. He recently retired as CEO of Foster Farms.
Since graduating from UT Herbert College of Agriculture with a bachelor’s degree in animal science, Smith has remained involved with his alma mater, serving on UT’s Board of Trustees. Smith and his wife, Terry, have most notably given support for the Herbert College of Agriculture and the VOLeaders program. They created and endowed the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture at UT Institute of Agriculture and learned about the needs of smallholder Rwandan farmers. Connecting with organizations in Rwanda like Bridge2Rwanda and OneEgg, they discovered that there was not a single feed mill in the country. After meeting with the Rwandan Minister of Agriculture and like-minded investors, they started the Africa Sustainable Agriculture Project Foundation to support agricultural development in Africa.
Smith has been recognized as UT’s Philanthropist of the Year, a top 100 alumnus, and the Ruby C. McSwain Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year by the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association. In 2021, he was inducted into the Tennessee Poultry Hall of Fame. He and Terry are native Tennesseans and have three children and one grandchild, and they continue their work to feed the world.
