Effective Fall 2018, Ashley Smith joins the HFC Automotive Technology division as its first female faculty member.

“I’m one of four full-time instructors in Automotive Technology,” she said. “The faculty has been very welcoming and very inviting. I’m looking forward to introducing students to the world of the automobile.”

Her interest in cars began at an early age. Her late grandfather owned seven transmission shops in Metro Detroit. Watching her grandfather and her late father work on cars sparked her curiosity. She began assisting them as they made repairs. Before she knew it, she was repairing them herself as they passed their passion for cars down to her.

A 2006 alumna of Salem High School in Plymouth, Smith attended Grand Valley State University in Allendale on a golf scholarship, earning her undergraduate degree in business administration. Smith played professional golf for a year before pursuing her first love: cars. She earned her automotive certification from Grand Rapids Community College. She later earned her master’s certification through the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.