People who have been
in your shoes.
Colorado Springs, CO · Colorado State University
Rusty is a talent acquisition expert with over 25 years of experience in executive search, market entry, and team building — working with startups, hyper-growth organizations, and Fortune 500 companies across the United States, Asia, and Europe.
He founded Smith Bryan & Associates in 2009 after serving as President of a boutique executive search firm in Tokyo, where he led C-level placements across Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at global and boutique recruiting firms throughout Asia.
From building a media company from zero for one of Silicon Valley's most iconic founders, to assembling the engineering teams behind leading DeFi protocols and staffing some of the most recognized retail launches in Japan's history — Rusty has spent 25 years placing the people behind defining moments. He has guided major U.S. technology platforms through Japan market entry, built information security functions for prominent enterprise intelligence firms, and helped companies make their first CIO hire, scale inaugural teams, and enter new markets with the right leadership in place.
Rusty has always been at the forefront of technology — among the first search professionals in crypto and blockchain, kubernetes, augmented and virtual reality, as well as artificial intelligence.
Córdoba, Argentina · B.S. Marketing, University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Elizabeth is a Principal at Smith Bryan & Associates, conducting executive searches and leading the firm's research practice. She brings over 15 years of experience in talent acquisition, market mapping, and full-cycle search across the United States, Asia, and Europe.
She has conducted searches for and helped build out engineering teams at leading companies in decentralized finance and enterprise technology, and has led go-to-market talent searches for major U.S. technology platforms making their first moves into Japan and the broader Asian market. Prior to Smith Bryan, she built her foundation in marketing research and client services at the University of Colorado and in financial services.
Her dual role as researcher and recruiter gives every Smith Bryan engagement a distinct edge — combining deep candidate intelligence with the full-cycle expertise to bring the right leaders across the finish line.