Ewell Smith serves as the Executive Director of the Carolina Loggers Association and VP of Business Development for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.  He’s the host of the ABSOLUTELY MINDSET podcast. Leveraging prior crisis experiences, Ewell created “Logs For The Cause” to aid veterans impacted by Hurricane Florence.  
 
Prior to CLA, Ewell served as the inaugural Executive Director starting the Gulf Seafood Institute which became the to go-to source for Congress for all fisheries issues related to the Gulf of Mexico.  Ewell's the co-chair of GSI's Gulf Seafood Foundations' crisis committee.
 
Prior to GSI, Ewell was the Executive Director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board building the Louisiana Seafood brand nationally and entering into global markets.  Ewell led the Louisiana and Gulf seafood industries through two of our nation's largest disasters, Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill.  Ewell created the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off and the Great American Seafood Cook-Off seen on Food Network and PBS.
 
Prior to his time with the seafood board, Ewell traveled the US as a spokesperson at major universities and architectural firms representing the Southern Forest Products Association.  He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of New Orleans, a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from Louisiana State University and he's a graduate of NFI's Future Leaders and LSU Ag Leadership Development programs.