Rhonda Smith

Rhonda Smith has over 20 years of experience financing and advising companies ranging from small start-ups to large publicly traded corporations. She understands the importance of having access to capital and the benefits to working with the right financing provider like Harvest.

Prior to joining Harvest, Rhonda helped small businesses acquire the commercial real estate and working capital they needed to grow through her work with Nashville based non-profit lenders, SBA certified development company MADC and economic and community development organization GNRC. There she provided loans to Tennessee businesses via federal loan programs, including the SBA 504 and a CARES Act loan program designed to help small businesses during the pandemic.  She enjoys working with entrepreneurs and has also been an advisor, consultant and member of the management team for several small businesses.

Rhonda previously was Director, Capital Markets and Asst. Treasurer, Banking and Investor Relations for the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation providing over $20 billion in capital from institutional investors for loans to cooperative and privately-owned companies in the rural United States.  Prior to joining CFC, Rhonda was a Vice President in Wachovia’s Financial Services industry group, a start-up business unit, where she developed relationships with regional banks, specialty lenders and insurance companies for capital markets product growth and cross selling investment banking, treasury management and corporate trust.  Rhonda began her career with SunTrust in Florida where she worked in U.S. Corporate Banking.

Rhonda has a BS From the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.