Dr. Scott Smith has been in education for the past 40 years and is a third-generation successful dyslexic. Growing up in Eastern Oregon, he struggled with school. His fifth-grade teacher told his parents he needed to find a trade because he would never be able to spell or read or write or attend college. Instead, Dr. Smith spent 26 years in elementary classrooms in Umatilla, Oregon and became an Assistant Professor at Eastern Oregon University in the Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Program. Dr. Smith is a Decoding Dyslexia-OR board member advocating for students services. His major area of focus is pre-reading skills and reading instruction, along with classroom instructional support. Dr. Smith lives in Mosier, Oregon with his wife Susan.