Tyson Foods CEO Donates $3.2M to University of Tennessee

Tyson Foods Inc. CEO Donnie Smith and his wife, Terry, have pledged $3.2 million to establish the Donald and Terry Smith Endowed Chair for International Sustainable Agriculture through the University of Tennessee Foundation, Inc. 

Donnie Smith earned his undergraduate degree in animal science from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and his wife, Terry, is a graduate of the College of Education.

Smith was appointed CEO of Tyson in 2009.

“Because of the outstanding reputation of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and our shared mission to seek global solutions to world hunger, we felt it was a perfect fit,” Smith said in a news release. “Terry and I are both alumni of the University of Tennessee and feel we would not be where we are today without the education and support we received during our years there and the relationships developed there that continue to encourage us and enrich our lives to this day.”