Nathaniel McGee Jr. joins MSCC as the program’s Lead Faculty, and he welcomes Darron Brooks, Mark Wilson, Reginald Cash, and Donnie Brown to the instructional staff.
“We have assembled a great team, and we have a well-rounded situation,” said McGee, who came to MSCC from Vatterott Career College in Memphis where he directed the diesel technology program. “We have an excellent program, and everything in our shop is modern equipment.”
Diesel Maintenance Technology faculty members include, from left Reginald Cash, Darron Brooks, Nathaniel McGee Jr., and Mark Wilson. Not pictured is Donnie Brown.
“Our goal is be in the forefront of diesel maintenance technology education in the region. We want our students to have the opportunity to work at major shops like Thompson CAT, Cummins, International Trucks, Schneider, and Volvo Mack, and we have the instructors who can prepare them for those jobs.”
McGee said the MSCC diesel technology team members have numerous contacts, from shop foremen to chief executive officers, at many of those companies.
“All of us have established valuable relationships within the industry, and we’re going leverage those contacts to help our students land great jobs,” he said. “Our goal is to make sure that our graduates find open doors everywhere they go.”
“There’s nothing wrong with working at the ‘mom and pop shops,’ but we are training our students in such a way that they will have multiple options when they complete MSCC’s curriculum. My team and I came to Mid-South to grow this program, and that’s just what we’re going to do.”
While working for Vatterott, McGee helped the program expand from 12 students to more than 200.
Born and raised in Flint, Mich., McGee has worked in the diesel/automotive field for more than 33 years. A U.S. military veteran, he has lived in the Mid-South since 1996.
“My heart lies in teaching and developing young minds,” McGee said. “If I can take one kid from poverty and teach him something that will help him stand and make his own way, I have accomplished something great. I’m all about the soul and heart.”
“The diesel field is wide open; they’re always hiring technicians. My job is to show our students a way to make money, and there is plenty available. All you need is the proper training. We’re not going to give students the answers. We’re going to help them learn the things they need to learn and also practice what they’ve learned so it sticks with them. ”
McGee graduated from Phoenix Institute of Technology with a 4.0 grade-point average in American and Foreign engines. He has since worked and taught in all areas of the field. He earned an associate degree in Business Management from Vatterott Career College of St. Louis in June 2011.
His professional experience includes six years as Lead Diesel Technician at Hogan Motor Leasing in Memphis, almost a year as Preventive Maintenance Supervisor at Swift Transportation in Memphis, a year as a diesel mechanic at J.A. Riggs in West Memphis, four years as a diesel mechanic at J.B. Hunt in Memphis, and 16 years in the military.
Darron Brooks joins McGee as a full-time diesel instructor. “He comes with a vast array of knowledge; he can do just about everything,” McGee said.
Brooks earned a B.S. degree in Electronic Engineering from Southern University A&M in Baton Rouge and a B.S. in Organizational Management from Crichton College in Memphis. He also pursued master-degree level courses in Education at the University of Memphis and is a certified math teacher in Tennessee.
He taught diesel mechanics at Vatterott before coming to MSCC. His professional experience includes five years as a Manufacturing Engineer I Electrician A for Carrier Corporation of Collierville, Tenn., and five years as an Electronic Technician/Mechanic for A.E. Clevite of Collierville.
Reginald Cash works as shop foreman for the Memphis Area Transit Authority while serving as an adjunct instructor for MSCC. His professional experience also includes stints at J.B. Hunt, Allied Waste, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Penske Truck Leasing, and Federal Express. He also taught diesel mechanics at Vatterott in Memphis.
He holds Master ASE Certification (Medium/Heavy Truck), 609 AIC Certification, Federal Air Brake Certification, and Class ACDL. Cash earned a Front Line Supervision Program Certificate from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Federal Express Tractor Trailer Driving Course Certificate.
Donnie L. Brown has worked as a maintenance supervisor/shop foreman at Transcarriers, Inc. since June 2011. He has also worked at Swift Transportation and Ozark Motor Lines as a Technician Trainer and Trade Shop/Body Shop Manager. He served as a diesel mechanic instructor at Vatterott from May 2008 to June 2011.
Brown, who has been teaching for more than 25 years, served as president of the American Trucking Association in 2008-09.
Mark Wilson came to MSCC in 2010 as an adjunct instructor and biofuel micro-refinery designer/fabricator and accepted a full-time position in March 2011.
He earned a bachelor of Fine Arts in Architecture and an associate’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Memphis.
In 2009-2010, he served as a Specialized Research Assistant for the U of M Department of Engineering Sciences. From 2000 to 2005, he worked as a corporate trainer in marketing and sales techniques, asset management, EPA refrigerant evacuation and use certification (class IV); development and implementation of employee training programs, and compliance regulation for Hazmat, DOT, OSHA, and others.
From 1985 to 2000, he worked with many manufacturers to deliver sales and service training programs. Wilson is certified in various levels of plant safety training and in manufacturing, chemical, petrochemical and radioactive facilities. He has conducted extensive research into mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, structural and hydraulic systems for existing, proposed, and retro-fitted applications.
McGee said the College has created a “perfect storm” for high-tech learning and career preparation.
“MSCC is a beautiful place with a bunch of friendly people and a great atmosphere. Everyone has an open eye and open ear to different things, and we all want the program to succeed.”
“We’re here to change lives, and it’s a challenge for all of us. For me, every time I see a student in class catch on to something I’m saying and his face lights up, mine lights up right along with him.”
For more information on diesel technology or other training/education programs at MSCC, call (870) 733-6728, visit the campus at 2000 West Broadway in West Memphis, see the website at www.midsouthcc.edu, or email admissions@midsouthcc.edu.
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