Title:
Adjunct Faculty
Highest degree and school:
BS, Organizational Leadership, Colorado State University
Teaching at SDI since: 2021
Lee Ehlts teaches FTT 210 – Customizing and Woodworking and the FTT 214 – Hand Checkering Lab for SDI’s School of Firearms Technology. A US Navy veteran, Lee spent ten years as a Sonar Technician on fast attack and ballistic missile submarines and served on the Base Police. He has over twenty years of experience in the gunsmithing field, specializing in shotgun/double rifles, Remington warranty, checkering, custom stock, and grip making. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Colorado State and an associate degree in occupational studies – Gunsmithing from the Colorado School of Trades, Lee holds numerous certificates in electronics, military police instruction, and education and is both a Certified Higher Educational Professional (CHEP) in Education, Admissions, and Leadership and an NRA Range Safety Officer.
Lee has taught in higher education since 2014. He joined SDI in 2021 to keep teaching in his semi-retirement, finding the remote environment helpful to his personal circumstances. According to Lee, the best part of teaching is the students: “Meeting new students from different backgrounds who are interested in learning from my experience in the field.”
Outside of the classroom, Lee enjoys keeping his mind sharp by learning things in a wide variety of areas or improving his skills with new techniques. His past projects have included building a cedar chest by dovetail (held together without nails or glues), learning to be a certified tax preparer, and restoring old furniture. When asked what he wants to learn next, Lee shared “I would love to learn the art of building and repairing old-fashioned timepieces.” His idea of a perfect day would be spent scuba diving in crystal clear water.