Keith Smith
Keith Smith serves as chief administrative officer of The Manufacturing Institute (MI) and senior vice president at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the largest manufacturing association in the United States, managing the team that works closely with the NAM’s official state partners—the State Associations Group, the Allied Associations Group and industry association affiliates in the Council of Manufacturing Associations. In his role at the MI, Mr. Smith works alongside the president to develop and implement an organizational growth plan and to help achieve the strategic vision of the organization.
Previously as senior vice president of NAM public affairs and mobilization, Mr. Smith helped to transform the NAM’s advocacy team and directed the association’s public affairs, member engagement, grassroots and political mobilization programs. He helped lead the association’s issue advocacy campaigns as well as the NAM’s national grassroots advocacy network. Mr. Smith was also responsible for the teams that run the NAM’s Board of Directors’ initiatives and executive office operations.
Prior to serving as senior vice president, Mr. Smith was the NAM’s chief of staff for several years. In this role, he worked closely with the NAM’s president and CEO and senior staff to achieve the association’s strategic goals to advance policies that enhance the competitiveness of manufacturers. He helped to develop the initial strategic plans that transformed the NAM’s culture, achieved record growth of the association, enhanced the perception of the NAM and strengthened the association’s advocacy in Washington.
Mr. Smith had previously served as the NAM’s director of employment and labor policy and executive director of the NAM’s Labor Policy Institute. In this role, he helped to lead the NAM’s successful campaign against misguided “card check” legislation. He joined the NAM’s policy team in December 2005.
Mr. Smith began his career working for then Sen. George Allen (R-VA) and later worked at the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the successful 2004 election cycle.
Mr. Smith is a native of Western New York and a graduate of the University at Buffalo. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia.