Faculty Spotlight | Scott Walton

It’s not coffee that keeps Dr. Scott Walton, credit adjunct faculty member in the Continuing Education, Business and Applied Technology (CEBAT) division, running. He runs on drive, ambition, and dedication to all the roles he maintains, and as an avid runner, the endurance exercise keeps his world in balance as he strives for more.

Not only does Dr. Walton teach business courses in Harford’s CEBAT division, he also conducts government, contract, and corporate noncredit training for the College's Continuing Education department and serves as head coach for men’s and women’s cross-country – all while maintaining a full-time position as Marketing Program Chair at Wilmington University. There, he leads a team of undergraduate marketing faculty as well as instructs courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Business. While Scott shares his expertise across county and state lines, he remains focused on giving 100% to his students, clients and community.

As an adjunct faculty member, Scott began teaching Project Management at Harford in 2008. Since then, he’s expanded his credit and noncredit offerings to include Intro to Business, Intro to Accounting, Intro to Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Human Resources, Purchasing and more, helping students gain general business concepts all the way up to managing corporate projects. Scott continues to develop and teach his courses in various formats, including traditional in-person learning as well as hybrid and online versions.

The variety of students in his classes is something Scott truly enjoys; he says they each bring a vitality to his lessons, and they learn from each other. “Teaching Intro to Business is a passion of mine because I love seeing the rawness of a student who knows nothing about business spark up when we cover various topics they can relate to.” As a former business owner and entrepreneur, Dr. Walton takes lessons from his unique experiences and injects them into his teaching. He’s able to pass along vital information about the beginning, middle and end of starting and owning a business. “I love enlightening folks about all the mistakes I’ve made. I’m an open book about it because mistakes cost money, so why have others do the same? You learn more from mistakes – my lessons have helped a lot of students do a lot of wonderful things.” Scott’s students value their time with him so much that most stay in touch and continue to rely on his advice and wisdom long after their classes with him are completed.

Scott’s skills are utilized in speaking engagements for the College’s Community Education department, where he’s frequently asked to present to small businesses, executives, and government contractors on a variety of business concepts, tools and experiences. He specializes in Generational Differences, Millennials, Team Development, Critical Thinking, Decision Making, and Effective Communication. A particularly significant engagement was teaching employable soft skills to inmates at the Harford County Detention Center – an assignment he took a lot of pride in. Scott was also asked to establish and oversee a unique program for U.S. Army Communications–Electronic Command (CECOM) employees at Aberdeen Proving Ground called “Mentoring for Success.” The standout program trains participants across the world how to be an effective mentor as well as teaching mentees important actions to take to help ensure they have a positive mentorship experience. The training, initially face-to-face and now mainly remote, aligns cross-functional layers of management and has been a huge success for APG. Scott recently expended this training to include Harford County Public Schools’ PTECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) program in partnership with Harford Community College and U.S. Army CECOM.

In addition to mentoring, Scott teaches Accountability, Critical Thinking, Leading Change and other soft skills courses for employment seekers through the Susquehanna Workforce Network. His knowledge and business know-how is being utilized in Harford’s new Certified Customer Service Professional program offered through the GEER and Relief Grants – a program Scott developed that is receiving acclaim within the industry. He also serves on the CEBAT Advisory Committee, developing new courses and programs to connect the business community to Harford.

Always seeking ways to connect with students and the community, Scott brought his intertest and love for running to Harford by starting up and coaching the Cross-Country Club for interested students. The club grew to eventually establish itself as an official team sport for Harford Athletics. Scott stepped away as head coach for a short time, but returned later with great success ever since. In 2020, both the men’s and women’s cross-country teams made major headlines for their efforts in the classroom. Several student-athletes on each team were named to the NJCAA All-Academic Team, while the men’s team finished in second place nationally with a 3.60 GPA. It was truly a memorable season for Scott as he emphasizes academics to all his student-athletes, sometimes altering practices to accommodate exam schedules and class work for well-rounded student success.

Community involvement is also a passion of his. While volunteering on the board for the Havre de Grace Housing Authority, he served in several significant positions. He coordinated numerous charity events including children’s bicycle rallies and “free” yard sales to aid low-income residents with needed items. Scott also provided the community with much needed information and training on home ownership and rental/tenant matters. Combining his love of running with his generous spirit, he also organizes other benefit racing and running events throughout Maryland.

Dr. Walton is truly proud to work for the College: “Harford is where I found opportunity. From my first in-person class and my coaching position to all of the opportunities I’ve been given since I’ve started here, it’s been a place for me to grow – in fact, we’ve grown together. From textbooks to technology, Harford and I continue to grow. It will always be close to my heart.”

What keeps Scott “running?” Yes, he’s an avid runner, but he will tell you that first and foremost, he’s a father to two young daughters. He also enjoys cooking and staying active. He’s currently section-trekking the Appalachian Trail; at 400 miles in already, he’s set on completing the full 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine.

Striking the balance between work and play is always in sight for him as well as that finish line, but you won’t see him stopping any time soon. Harford continues to look forward to the many ways Dr. Scott Walton will serve our students and the community. The College is happy to have him on board and very proud to honor him as this month’s Faculty Spotlight!