hm - Dec12 - cover.indd - National Hardwood Lumber Association

CONTRIBUTORS
Dana Spessert began working for NHLA as Chief Inspector in September 2010. He is
responsible for maintaining the integrity of the NHLA grading rules by supervising the
Association’s field staff of six full time inspectors.
Dana is a native of West Virginia were he was born into the lumber industry – his father
having graduated from NHLA Inspection School in 1962. He started his career by
working at their family owned sawmill and later graduated from the NHLA Inspector
Training School in the spring of 1986. He worked independently as a lumber inspector
for several sawmill and lumber yards in the areas surrounding Elkins, W.Va. Dana was
also employed by Colonial Millworks, Ltd. for five years as a production supervisor
and spent the last nine years working for Coastal Lumber Company as Quality Control
Manager. He is a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Leadership Training Course.
Crystal Oldham is the Executive Director of the Hardwood Forest Foundation and the former NHLA Director
of Education. As the DOE she oversaw all things education for the Association, including the Inspector Training
School and Continuing Education programs. Prior to joining NHLA, Crystal served as Consumer Education
Coordinator for the State of Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions. Previously, she served as News
Director for Thunderbolt Broadcasting. As News Director, Crystal gathered, wrote and produced newscasts
for the company’s three radio stations. She also served as a Staff Reporter for Northwest Tennessee Times and
Freelance Writer for the Weakley County Press.
Crystal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism from the
University of Tennessee at Martin.
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WWW.NHLA.COM DECEMBER 2012 HARDWOOD MATTERS 3