Mr. David H. Byron Smith, Jr., joined Leeds West Groups (LWG) Board of Directors on January 1, 2018.

He is the Executive Vice President for Policy & Legal Affairs and General Counsel of Mutual Fund Directors Forum, a not-for-profit membership organization for independent investment company directors and an advocate on important policy matters, since 2005. From 1996 to 2005, Mr. Smith held several positions at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) serving as Associate Director, Division of Investment Management, from 2001 to 2005; Assistant General Counsel for Investment Management, Office of the General Counsel, from 1998 to 2001; and Attorney, Office of the General Counsel, from 1996 to 1998.

Mr. Smith has been an Independent Board of Directors member of Northern Trust Bank (NASDAQ: NTRS) since April 20, 2010 and Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW)(NASDAQ: ITW) since December 4, 2009 what own such notable companies as Deltar, RainX, Wynn’s, Densit, Miller Welding, Hobart, Ramset and Zip Pak to preview a few.

Mr. Smith has also served as a Director at Chicago Horticultural Society, Carleton College, along with multiple non-profit organizations.

Mr. Smith is a graduate of Carlton College class of 1988, went on to earn a master’s degree in English at the University of Chicago 1989, along with Juris Doctorate (JD), magna cum laude from Harvard Law School class of 1993. After Harvard Law School, Mr. Smith clerked for U.S. Appellate Court Judge Douglas Ginsberg in Washington. He currently resides in Washington, DC.