Northwest Florida State College welding instructor Scottie Smith has been selected to receive the national Howard E. Adkins Memorial Instructor Membership Award, presented by the American Welding Society to recognize outstanding welding instructors for their accomplishments. In a letter to Smith notifying him of his selection, Chelsea Lewis, a program manager with AWS, called the award “a well-deserved recognition of your contributions to the science and technology of welding.”
Smith became eligible for selection for the national award by winning the Howard E. Adkins Memorial Instructor District Award for District 9, which covers Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. Smith received the district award last October.
It is only fitting that Smith, who has taught welding at NWF State College since 2013, be chosen for the national Adkins instructor award. His welding instructor was his father, who received the same national award in 1999 while teaching at Southern Union State Community College in Opelika, Ala.
Smith was instrumental in the implementation and launch of the welding program at NWF State College under a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. He helped build the welding lab from the ground up and has demonstrated the ability to effectively and efficiently develop a successful program under strict budget constraints. During his tenure, he expanded the program to include an evening option to meet the needs of the student population, and he has formed and maintained industry partnerships to create a pipeline for employment opportunities for his students.
Under Smith’s watch, the NWF State College welding program was recognized last year for excellence in training by the Central Gulf Industrial Alliance, a consortium of industrial businesses and contractors spanning the Gulf Coast counties of Mississippi, Alabama and Northwest Florida.
The Crestview resident has earned national certifications from organizations such as the National Center for Construction Education and Research, the American Welding Society, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Smith will be presented the national Howard E. Adkins instructor award on Nov. 17 at an American Welding Society luncheon in Las Vegas held in conjunction with FABTECH, an annual event showcasing the latest innovations in the metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing industries.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview man to receive national welding instructor award