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Shaping Leaders: Marshall University president speaks to annual Boy Scouts Leadership Dinner

By Brett Dunlap 5 min read

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.

"We are very appreciative of Brad Smith taking the time."

They will be doing an aviation 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. He is the first alumnus in the university's 186-year history to serve as its president.

A former CEO of Alaskan Airlines, Brad Tilden was an Eagle Scout and serves as the National Chairman. Smith was able to see Tilden in the boardroom at Nordstrom.

"What he brought to the table was he had a professionalism about him," Smith said. "Yet, he had a certainty about what the problem was and what needed to be focused on and he was really skilled at civil discourse.

"He could get through a contentious discussion with grace and dignity. I think all of that came from his Scouting experience."

Smith presented his speech as a "Fireside Chat" where people could ask him a variety of questions and he would try to answer people's questions. He would cover growing up in West Virginia and how that prepared him for a 36-year career that ended up in Silicon Valley and what brought him back to West Virginia as well as what he learned in Silicon Valley and how it can be applied to West Virginia and what he learned in West Virginia that could be applied to Silicon Valley.

He discussed how he wants Marshall University to be at the center of innovations happening throughout the state. The university's strategy is called "Marshall For All and Marshall Forever," where students can get an education and not be burdened by student debt.

He feels Scouting and those involved in it can help West Virginia reach its potential.

"If you look at the things most communities and states realize, create a level playing field where you can literally create the next chapter of greatness," he said. "There are three things that need to exist, strong education, strong entrepreneurial spirit and the right environmental factors.

"When you go through that, Scouting touches all three of those."

It teaches intellectual curiosity, allows people to develop new skills to earn merit badges and progress through the Scouting ranks, it teaches people how to use what they have available to solve problems and adapt to changing conditions as well as preserve and protect what is around them.

"(Scouts) know how to be innovative and creative," Smith said. "Those are things that help create future leaders.

"The Scouts not only have an important role to play today, but they become the future leaders of tomorrow."

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com

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