Meet NaVOBA's Brand Ambassador: Stuart Smith

Meet Stuart

Stuart owns, operates, and is the primary Master Facilitator of FacilitationWerks! Inc. His experience includes thousands of hours training others, facilitating meetings, seminars, and workshops.  He has led others in the military, government, corporations, non-profits, small businesses, and in volunteer roles. He has a proven track record of completing projects on time, on budget, and to performance expectations. 


Stu has held leadership positions of increasing corporate business responsibility culminating as Vice President of Human Resources for a Fortune 1000 financial services company.  Since 2008, as an independent consultant and owner of FacilitationWerks!, Stuart has led and supported large-scale strategic initiatives, helping organizations both install and realize the benefits of quality systems management, customer relationship management, enterprise technology systems, and leadership development.

 

He has studied strategy execution over the past twenty-five years.  He is a past national member of the Association of Strategic Planning and has facilitated or co-facilitated thirty comprehensive and specific-focus strategic planning sessions for business, government, and not-for-profit clients.    


He has over forty years’ experience with thousands of hours delivering in-person training sessions in leadership, communication, resource and project management and quality program management.  He has designed and facilitated +500 in-person and virtual meetings, work sessions, off-sites, and retreats to develop plans, solve problems address conflict, build teams, and lead change.  

Community-focused veteran leader

Stuart entered Army active duty from Brevard County, Florida. He now resides in Cape Canaveral. He served with distinction during two enlistments as an Infantry soldier. He was promoted above his peers, held positions of increasing responsibility and above his grade, culminating as the Chief of Instructor Development at the Non-commissioned Officers Academy at Ft. Lewis WA. He was recognized in 1987 as the 9th Infantry Division, I Corps, and US Forces Command (FORSCOM) Soldier of the Year.


Since leaving the Army in 1992, he has focused his time and talent on Veterans’ advocacy in employment and entrepreneurship. He is the previous CEO of the Florida Association of Veteran Owned Businesses (2022-2024). He has led the Military Affairs Council of the Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, and Life Member of the Brevard County Veterans Center. 


He is a past Board Member of the Atlanta Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and SHRM National; previous member of the International Association of Facilitators and the Association of Strategic Planners (ASP) and the American Society for Quality. He is a former Rotarian and continues to live by the Rotary Motto “Service Above Self.” 


Stu’s family has a legacy of military service. He was married on active duty to his wife Janice, also an Army soldier. Their son served in the US Army as a Blackhawk Helicopter Crew Chief. Stu is the son of a retired Airforce veteran and son-in-law of a WW2 combat veteran. His brother is a Navy veteran, his uncle a Vietnam Airforce combat veteran, and his brother-in-law an Airforce veteran. Stu is a service-connected disabled veteran. 

Awards and Honors

·      2024 Orlando Business Journal “Veteran of Influence”

·      2024 Selected to serve on the National Homeless Veteran Support Board of Directors

·      2023 Appointment by the SBA Administrator as a member of the Advisory Committee on Veterans Business      Affairs (3-year term)

·      2023 North Florida and State of Florida Community Partner of the Year, Florida Association of Veteran Owned Businesses. Accepted by Stuart as FAVOB CEO

·      2022 Small Business Association (SBA) South Florida Veterans Advocate of the Year

·      2018 inductee into the Space Coast Public Service Hall of Fame, Outstanding Military Service Award, Brevard County, FL, Sheriff Wayne Ivey

·      2017-2020 Small Business of the Month winner and Small Business of the Year finalist, Cocoa Beach Area Chamber of Commerce

·      2012 Awarded the SHRM Atlanta Presidential Volunteer Leadership Award for leading SHRM Atlanta’s Veteran Hiring Initiative

·      2010 Named Paul Harris Fellow, the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International and awarded the Pat Adkins “Rotarian of the Year” award 2010 for his veteran advocacy work

·      1995 Governor Executive Fellow, State of Washington Mike Lowry, Governor

·      1987 9th Infantry, I CORPS and US Forces Command (FORSCOM) Soldier of the Year

Education and Certifications

Stuart earned his Bachelor of Science in Workforce Education from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) and a Masters of Education, HR Concentration from Seattle University. 


He is a well-rounded business leader and has mastered the body of knowledge and has held the following professional certifications:


  • Certified Master Facilitator (CMF), International Institute for Facilitation
  • Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF), International Association of Facilitators
  • Baldrige Examiner Training Experience, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, National Institute of Science and Technology
  • Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR), Society for Human Resource Management
  • Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence (CMQOE) and Senior Manager, American Society for Quality
  • Trained Six Sigma Black and Green Belt, Georgia Tech
  • Trained Change Management Practitioner, Conner and Associates


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