Gary Smith spent his career in the education field, and now he’s hoping to draw on that experience in his new volunteer role as president of the Hubbard County Coalition of Lake Associations (COLA).
He succeeds Jon Dennis of Spider Lake, who has completed his two-year term as COLA president and also remains on the organization’s board of directors as immediate past president.
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One of the things Smith did as he approached his first term as COLA president, which began in late August, was to take the University of Minnesota’s aquatic invasive species detector’s course, so he could better help people learn about one of the more pressing issues that confronts his organization.
“I think even some of my family is surprised at how far I’ve gone down the path of learning more things about AIS and prevention,” said Smith, retired professor and dean of North Dakota State University’s College of Engineering. “I do like to research and learn about things first, and then I know I can teach it.”
Smith, who lives on the Fish Hook River, is the recent past president of the Fish Hook Lake and River Association (FHLRA).
Smith says he first got interested in the work of lake associations ...