Wright-Pierce is pleased to welcome Smitty (Michael Smith) as a Senior Technical Leader. Smitty brings with him nearly four decades of experience in wastewater treatment, construction, and operations. Having worked across the country but with extensive experience in the Northeast, he adds significant depth to the firm’s wastewater treatment expertise in both industrial and municipal wastewater.
Throughout his career, Smitty has developed a reputation for strong technical judgment, practical problem solving, and a clear, steady approach to complex treatment challenges. His broad operational background, coupled with his deep technical understanding of treatment processes, makes him a valuable resource for teams navigating the planning, design, and implementation of treatment‑focused solutions. He will play a key role in reinforcing and expanding the firm’s industrial wastewater treatment capabilities, serving as an important part of the firm’s growing technical toolkit.
Smitty will provide senior quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) technical influence, supporting leaders such as Ryan Wadsworth and Bartt Booz while ensuring more junior staff have access to strong, experience-based guidance. His role is intentionally broad so he can touch many projects across the firm. This structure allows him to provide widespread influence when and where needed across the areas we serve.
Mentorship is central to Smitty’s contribution at Wright-Pierce. Junior staff will have the opportunity to lean on him not only for technical development but also for career growth and long-term professional guidance. His approachability, combined with his extensive field, design, and operational experience, positions him as a trusted advisor for both emerging engineers and seasoned staff.
Jennie Auster, Vermont Wastewater Group Leader, shared her perspective on his arrival: “Smitty brings an uncommon combination of deep technical expertise and real-world operational perspective across both industrial and municipal wastewater. His depth of experience and commitment to mentoring staff will strengthen our wastewater practice and expand our industrial wastewater treatment capabilities. We are so excited to have him onboard!”
To contact Smitty or to learn more about how Wright-Pierce can meet your engineering needs, contact us today.