LITTLE ROCK, AR — At the 2025 Fall ACEC Conference in San Diego, California, Garver’s Director of Federal Services Wallace Smith, PE, was honored with the national ACEC Community Service Award — a recognition that reflects more than two decades of service and leadership across central Arkansas.
For 26 years, Smith has lent his time, talents, and heart to a wide range of organizations, such as Women and Children First, Goodness Village, and Mount St. Mary Academy. He also had a role in the planning and construction of the new $24 million Women and Children First Peace Center. When the existing facility was deemed outdated, Smith spearheaded a capital campaign to build a new 60,000-square-foot center that will provide shelter, medical care, and legal assistance to women and children in need.
He is also helping Goodness Village — an organization that offers affordable housing for patients and families during treatment — develop a new housing facility, and he has led master planning efforts for Mount St. Mary Academy’s campus improvements. He lent his engineering expertise to Our House, Holy Souls School, and other organizations. Smith’s leadership extends to boardrooms and advisory councils. At the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he serves on both the Leadership Council and Advisory Board, advocating for STEM education and helping shape the future of engineering programs. He is also a board member and active volunteer for the Methodist Family Health Foundation, which provides mental health services for children across Arkansas who have been abandoned, neglected, and/or abused.
Smith has worked with Junior Achievement, where he mentors high school students from underrepresented communities, introducing them to careers in engineering and helping them envision a brighter future. As a past Commander and Current Officer of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9095, Smith has been an advocate for veterans. He has organized golf tournaments, coordinated housing and bill assistance, and led ceremonies honoring those who served. His efforts have directly supported veterans receiving care at local VA hospitals and helped raise funds for new facilities.
For nearly 30 years, Smith has played Santa Claus for Women and Children First, Open Arms Shelter, and Restoration of Hope, delivering gifts and necessities to children facing hardships. He has also volunteered with Arkansas Children’s Hospital, spending time with young cancer patients to offer comfort and distraction during treatment. His fundraising efforts span organizations like the Arkansas Alzheimer’s Association, Baptist Health, the American Red Cross, and the Arkansas Heart Association.
