Woodworking instructor Molly Turner accepts WIA 2026 Educator of the Year award

Woodworking instructor Molly Turner accepts WIA 2026 Educator of the Year award July 9, 2026 | 11:38 am CDT

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Woodworking Industry News

Event Coverage

Woodworking instructor Molly Turner accepts WIA 2026 Educator of the Year award

By

Rich Christianson

July 9, 2026 | 11:38 am CDT

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Chris Timmer, chair of the WIA Education Committee, left, presents Molly Turner with the 2026 Wooden Globe Award for Educator of the Year to Molly Turner. Joining in the celebration is Erik Boose, chair of the WIA Awards Committee.

Past WCA & NWB WIA Educator of the Year Award recipients

Ignacio High School and Molly Turner join a long list of WCA affiliates to win the WIA’s prestigious annual Wooden Globe Award for Educator of the Year. Past winners, who also are members of the National Woods Board, are highlighted in red.

2008, Patrick Molzahn, director of cabinetmaking and millwork, Madison Area Technical College, Madison, Wisconsin

2013, Dean Mattson, cabinet and wood manufacturing teacher, North Salem High School Woods Program, North Salem, Oregon

2014, Doug Rappe, program director, Greater West Town Community Development Project, Chicago, Illinois

2015, Doug Hague and Charles Phillips, woodworking instructors, Wood Technology Institute at Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas

2016, Scott Nelson, president, Woodwork Career Alliance of North America, Lincoln, Nebraska

2017, Greg Larson, owner/director, New England School of Architectural Woodworking, Easthampton, Massachusetts

2018, Joe Davis, mill and cabinet instructor, Dale Jackson Career Center, Lewisville, Texas

2024, Mark Smith, woodworking instructor, Reed-Custer High School, Braidwood, Illinois 2025, David Bult, executive director, Next Step West Michigan

2026, Molly Turner, woods manufacturing instructor, Ignacio High School, Ignacio, Colorado

FOREST HILL, Md., The Wood Industry Association (WIA) honored Ignacio High School of Ignacio, Colorado, its 2026 Wooden Globe Award for Educator of the Year at the Wood Industry Conference held in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

Ignacio instructor Molly Turner, a long-time accredited skill evaluator of the Woodwork Career Alliance (WCA) and member of the National Woods Board (NWB), accepted the honor on behalf of her school’s woods manufacturing program. Ignacio High School is the ninth recipient of the WIA Wooden Globe Educator of the Year Award to be affiliated with the WCA since 2008. She is also one of four current board members of the NWB to receive the honor.

The Educator of the Year award recognizes an educational institution or training program that demonstrates excellence in preparing individuals for careers in the woodworking industry. Honorees are chosen for their advocacy, innovation, and impact on workforce development in the wood sector.

Ignacio High School and Turner were recognized for outstanding contributions to career and technical education through the school’s multi-tiered Woods Manufacturing and Building Trades program.

The program offers a progressive, project-based sequence that takes students from introductory woodworking and fabrication through advanced wood manufacturing, machining, finishing, furniture construction, and applied building trades. Students gain hands-on experience with CNC routing, panel processing technology, cabinetry and furniture design, industry workflow principles, and other related disciplines. Graduates can earn meaningful resume-building qualifications including WCA credentials, SkillsUSA competitive awards, Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS) and National Woods Board (NWB)-aligned curriculum experiences, and OSHA-10 safety certification opportunities. All of these opportunities supporting student placement into apprenticeships, manufacturing jobs, and technical programs.

A key dimension of the program's success extends beyond Ignacio High School through the leadership of Turner. In collaboration with the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative (SWCEC), she has expanded access to career-training opportunities and industry-grade equipment across multiple rural districts. As a founding Board Member of the NWB and an active contributor to AWFS Education Committee initiatives, Turner has also helped shape curriculum frameworks adopted by woodworking programs nationwide.

"I am deeply honored to accept the Wooden Globe Award on behalf of our woods manufacturing program,” Turner said. “This recognition highlights the incredible potential of high school technical education. It inspires me to continue working alongside the WCA and National Woods Board to help shape a highly skilled, prosperous future for our industry."

About the Wood Industry Association (WIA)  The mission of the Wood Industry Association (WIA) is to equip and connect professionals in the wood machinery and supplies industry by delivering valuable resources, trusted insights, strategic connections, educational support, and strong advocacy that collectively shape the future of North America’s woodworking sector.

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About the author

Rich Christianson

| President/Owner/C-Level

Rich Christianson is the owner of Richson Media LLC, a Chicago-based communications firm focused on the industrial woodworking sector. Rich is the former long-time editorial director and associate publisher of Woodworking Network. During his nearly 35-year career, Rich has toured more than 250 woodworking operations throughout North America, Europe and Asia and has written extensively on woodworking technology, design and supply trends. He has also directed and promoted dozens of woodworking trade shows, conferences and seminars including the Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo and the Woodworking Machinery & Supply Conference & Expo, Canada’s largest woodworking show.

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