Mark E. Smith, MBA -Chief Advancement Officer

Centerstone

Mark E. Smith is the former Director of Marketing & Communications for The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Smith joined the staff of The Ringling Museum of Art in November of 2018, bringing with him over 15 years of marketing, development, and constituent engagement experience from several diverse sectors, including museum and cultural arts, hospitality management,  higher education, and the sports and entertainment sectors.

As Chief Advancement Officer for Centerstone, Smith supports the Centerstone mission by developing and cultivating a diverse portfolio of donors with a vested interest in providing care that changes people's lives. 

Smith spent over twenty-four years in Texas, living in Dallas, Waco, Austin, and Houston, where he developed his professional business acumen and network, as well as cultivated a deep, diverse network of people and organizations. Smith has a passion for engaging people, volunteering and community capacity building.

In his spare time, Smith has volunteered on numerous community-based nonprofit boards and organizations in Texas and Florida, including Caritas of Waco, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, and Waco Rotary Club. Smith is the past Board Chairman for Visible Men Academy (Bradenton, FL), as well as served as a Board Director for Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative in Sarasota, FL. Smith has also been fortunate to be nominated to be part of several professional leadership cohorts, including Leadership Waco (Waco, TX), Leadership Sarasota and, The Gulf Coast Leadership Institute.

Smith is a 1985 graduate of Dunbar Career Academy in Chicago, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management/Marketing from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and his Executive Master of Business Administration degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Smith is the second oldest of four siblings (brothers) in Chicago, Atlanta, and Columbus, Ohio. Originally from Chicago, IL, Smith has now resided in Sarasota, Florida, for the last five years.