Woodwork Career Alliance Named WMIA Educator of the Year

The Woodworking Machinery Industry Association (WMIA) presented its 2016 Wooden Globe Educator of the Year Award to Scott Nelson, president of the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA). The award ceremony was held April 14 during the annual Woodworking Industry Conference at the Marriott Casa Magna Resort in Cancun, Mexico.

The WMIA Educator of the Year Award recognizes Nelson’s leadership of the WCA, a not-for-profit organization created to address the woodworking industry’s critical skilled worker shortage through the development of industry-recognized skill standards. Under Nelson’s direction, the WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 240 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has enrolled 125 secondary and postsecondary institutions as EDUcation® members, issued over 1,000 WCA passports, and trained more than 180 accredited skill evaluators. Perhaps most importantly, all of these key program metrics are continuing to increase.

Bill Esler, associate publisher and editorial director of Woodworking Network, nominated Nelson for the prestigious award. In presenting the Wooden Globe, Esler praised Nelson as a “tireless worker” for directing the Woodwork Career Alliance’s advancement. “Scott is one of the treasures of the woodworking industry,” Esler said.

“Winning the Wooden Globe Educator Award is a great honor for the WCA and the many dedicated professionals working behind the scenes to make this program a success,” Nelson said. “I thank the WMIA and its members for recognizing our efforts and for helping to raise awareness of the WCA’s activities to develop and promote skill standards that can be used to help the industry recruit, retain and reward woodworking professionals for their achievements.”  
 
The WMIA, based in Alexandria, VA, is a trade association representing importers and distributors of woodworking machinery and ancillary equipment in North America. Nelson and the WCA join nearly 30 other woodworking educators and institutions that the WMIA has recognized for excellence through its Educator of the Year Award since 1988.
 
About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance was founded in 2007 as a 501©(3) non-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the Wood Industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 240 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has issued more than 1,000 Passports, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of achievements as a woodworking professional. More than 125 high schools and post-secondary schools throughout North America are WCA EDUcation® members. To learn more about the WCA and how to get involved with its programs, visit www.WoodworkCareer.org

​Scott Nelson, president of the Woodwork Career Alliance, winner of the 2016 WMIA Wooden Globe Educator Award, is flanked by Jason Howell of Michael Weinig Inc., chairman of the WMIA Education Committee, left, and Bill Esler, associate publisher of Woodworking Network.