Prior to the Foundation: Shawn Smith served in the first administration of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, was a founding member and the first Business Development Director for Club for Growth, served as Business Development Manager for the Benevolent Endowment Network Fund founded by Dr. Benjamin (Ben) Carson, and the Director of Fundraising for the Jefferson Island Club known for the “State of the Union” dinner and the “Citizen of the Year” award that honors U.S. Presidents and Members of Congress. Political Appointments: She served in the administration of President Ronald Reagan at the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee under Senator William Armstrong of Colorado and the Republican Platform Committee as Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. William J. Gribbin. Served in President George H.W. Bush administration at the Republican National Committee in the office of Minority Outreach under Chairman Lee Atwater. Australia Appointment: Served as Business Development Associate for The Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute in Sydney, where she raised funds for 124 neuroscientists in Brain Cancer Research, Fundraising Manager for The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the first Business Development Director for Bear Cottage. Bear Cottage is the 15th Children’s Hospice in the world and the first in New South Wales. Culinary Board Appointments: The American Academy of Chefs – Honorary Board of Trustees, former Advisory Board Member of the American Culinary Federation - Chef and Child Foundation and former 2nd Vice Chairman of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. Taste of the NFL – Ambassadors Host Committee – Super Bowl 2025 – New Orleans, Louisiana.
Other Honors: Honorary Texas Citizen; Who’s Who among Emerging Young Leaders in America. American Women of Sydney Australia as Fundraising Chairman, the National Breast Cancer Volunteer Corporate Advisory Committee of Sydney, and Research America! Ms. Smith represented the State of California at the 35th Anniversary of the Splashdown of Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on the USS Hornet. Author: Ms. Smith is the creator of Hattie Mae & PALS (characters), the Practical Appetite Learning Skills wellness program and the Hattie Mae and PALS Traveling Trunk six book series. She is the creator of Harvest Gardens "Adventures in Learning" EnVision Center. Education: Graduate of the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL), Lafayette, Louisiana. Her greatest accomplishment is keeping her promise to her late sister, Tree. www.hattiemaeandpals.org
Page 26 I HOSPITALITY NEWS JUNE
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