Chet Harrell was born and raised in Ponchatoula, Louisiana and graduated from Ponchatoula High in 1979 and Southeastern Louisiana University in May, 1983 with a B.A. in Marketing and Business Administration. While as SLU, Chet was a member of the Theta Xi Fraternity, holding several key offices including Vice President, Treasurer, Scholastic Chairman and Pledge Trainer. He was a frequently listed on the Dean’s List for Academic Excellence, a recipient of the Green “S” Award for service to the University and Who’s Who Amongst University and College Students for the U.S. While at SLU, Chet helped raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis acting as the Public Relations Director of the fraternity “Pole Sit” at the university. Chet also pursued a master’s degree in business following his graduation.

Chet relocated to Dallas, Texas in 1986 to accept a position with Mark Cross, the international luxury leather retailer. In 1993 he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he held key positions with Ralph Lauren and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was in Los Angeles that he segued into the non profit arena. He managed the sales effort for the museum on the west coast and also hosted an annual membership party to support the “Master Plan” for expansion for the museum in New York City. While in Los Angeles, Chet was featured on the Christopher Lowell home decorating show and Fox News. He also attended and supported many celebrity based events for MGM studios. Chet relocated to New York City in 2000 to continue his efforts at the world famous museum on 5th Avenue. While there, Chet managed the sales efforts for the retail team and supported the Development Department with their special events projects. Chet also held highly visible positions with Bergdorf Goodman, Burberry and Mikimoto, managing environments for these luxury retailers and planning and executing many events attended by NYC society and entertainers.

While at Mikimoto, Chet was promoted to a marketing position overseeing the visual display and special events for both the retail and wholesale division. Chet planned and executed many special events for Mikimoto with such noteworthy philanthropies as The Central Park Conservancy, The Young Survival Coalition, The Young Philharmonic Association as well as many others across the nation. He also planned a traveling exhibition for a museum collection of priceless articles from the Pearl Museum in Tokyo, Japan. He also planned and executed showroom exhibits for Mikimoto at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, on Knob Hill in San Francisco, California and in Basel, Switzerland.
He also worked with Lifetime Television to raise awareness for breast cancer awareness with Geralyn Lucas, celebrated author and television movie subject. Chet appeared on episodes of The Apprentice with Donald Trump and The Simple Life with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.




After his sister’s diagnosis with A.L.S. in early 2006, Chet accepted a position as the Director of Special Events for the non profit God’s Love We Deliver. In this position, Chet served on many committees with the champions of this agency, including, Blaine Trump, Joan Rivers, Kyle MacLachlan and his wife Desiree Gruber, Matthew Modine, Margaret Russell (editor-in-chief at Elle Decor), Jonathan Adler, celebrated author Linda Fairstein, Mario Buatta and many other notable designers and interior designers planning and directing 4 signature events in NYC and the Hamptons and an annual holiday catalog at such venues as Central Park, The Rainbow Room and The Plaza Hotel. These events have been attended by many notable members of NYC society and celebrities, including, Calvin Klein, Linda Carter, Tory Burch, Ina Garten, Lydia Bastianich, Martha Stewart, Sarah Lee, Anna Wintour, Simon Doonan, Joan Rivers, Matthew Modine, Elie Tahari, Deborah Norville and Carolina Herrera, amongst others. These efforts generated millions of dollars for the agency.

Following the death of Debbie in November of 2008, Chet relocated to the Bal Harbour, Florida area to make plans for the Debbie Harrell Albin Foundation for ALS Research. He also contributed his time to plan events for the Museum of Contemporary Art.