Smith: Scouts become leaders
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VIENNA -- Those involved in the Scouting program are taking the first steps to becoming future leaders of business and the local communities, the president of Marshall University told a gathering of local officials and others Friday evening.
The 55th Annual Kootaga District and Buckskin Council Leadership Dinner was held at the Parkersburg Country Club with guest speaker Brad D. Smith, president of Marshall University. Although Smith, a Wayne County native, only made it through Cub Scouts in his youth, he has a lot of respect for what the Scouting organization does in building leaders which in turn also develops entrepreneurs and job builders.
"The Scouting program prepares our future citizens and also strengthenS our communities," he said. "We are looking for ways they can work more closely with higher education so together we can have a bigger impact."
He has a lot of friends who were Eagle Scouts and has seen the impact Scouting has had on a lot of people, including a number of CEOs he has worked with over the years. Scouting does three things, Smith said.
It builds community engagement where people are making good things happen in the areas where they serve. They inspire the next generation through their service and leadership and set the example for the next generation of men and women who want to do that as well. Finally, they build future leaders, he said.
"If you think about what happens in the Scouting program and the number of individuals who go on to lead this nation, lead our state, lead our companies and lead our communities.
"Those are foundational elements when it comes to Scouting."
Jeffrey L Purdy, the Scout Executive for the Boy Scouts Buckskin Council, said it meant a lot for Smith to speak at the dinner as Marshall University has been involved in Scouting, playing host to a Merit Badge College a couple of weeks ago.
Professors at the college acted as Merit Badge Counselors for over 300 Scouts. Those are people who know what they are doing and really benefit the Scouts.
"They have done that for years," he said. "We are excited about the opportunities to work with Marshall University. We benefit greatly from them wanting to help youth.
They will be doing anaaviation merit badge course in May at Yeager Airport. They announced it during the Merit Badge College and all of the 30 slots for it were filled up quickly.
Smith had a 36-year business career that included leadership positions across four industries, leading large global organizations. His private industry career included time which culminated with an 11-year tenure as CEO of Intuit. He also spent time working with PepsiCo, 7-UP, ADVO and ADP.
Smith is the 38th president of Marshall University, a position he assumed in January 2022.