Donnie Smith helped shape the vision of the food business during his 36-year career at Tyson Foods. He was appointed to the role of President and CEO in 2009. He started out in poultry operations in 1980 working in Tennessee before moving to the company’s headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, where he started as a commodity buyer. He was named director of commodity purchasing in 1991 and during the next several years added complementary responsibilities to his management portfolio: logistics, purchasing and information systems in 2006; and engineering, food safety and quality assurance, and environmental health and safety in 2007. He moved into the company’s consumer products division in 2008 and was named senior group vice president of poultry and prepared foods in early 2009, the same year he was appointed as president and CEO.

Donnie guided Tyson Foods to be a company with a conscience, focused on feeding the world with great affordable food, while also making a positive difference in people’s lives. He helped to build a platform to support the Company’s hybrid strategy of branded prepared products and fresh chicken, beef, pork and specialty meats.

Donnie’s contagious enthusiasm and servant leadership inspired and motivated over 115,000 staff members. His passion for serving is evident both in his professional legacy and personal ambitions. He continues to serve as a consultant to Tyson Foods and pursues his desire to help feed the world through his foundation; The Africa Sustainable Agriculture Project Foundation (ASAP).

A native of Tennessee, Donnie graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. Donnie and his wife, Terry, reside in Rogers, Arkansas and have three children