Tri County Tech names new superintendent
Tri County Technology Center announced last week that its Board of Education has appointed Tammie Strobel as superintendent and chief executive officer effective July 1.
She will replace Lindel Fields, who recently announced he will retire this year. Strobel, currently deputy superintendent and chief quality officer, joined Tri County Tech in 2000.
“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead our organization than Dr. Strobel. Tammie is a proven leader with business vision and the ability to bring people together. Her vision for how education will be used and experienced in our district is exactly what Tri County Tech needs as it enters the next chapter of innovation and growth,” Fields said.
Oklahoma DECA’s virtual Career Development Conference drew 330 attendees, most of whom participated from their homes because of the weather.
Students participated in two days of leadership workshops, Kahoot showdowns, a state officer live panel, officer elections and opening and keynote sessions. The keynote speaker was Jason White, former University of Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner who now owns several businesses in Oklahoma. Ryan Hock of the Oklahoma City Thunder marketing team spoke at the awards session. Students also competed ahead of time with prerecorded projects, said Paxton Cavin, DECA state adviser.
The students participated in a student work-based learning video contest sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. Each group produced a video sharing the benefits they have received from participating in work-based learning.
“The Fall 2020 Student Work-Based Learning Video Contest was created to encourage students to share work-based learning experiences in their own words,” said H.L. Baird, Oklahoma CareerTech work-based learning liaison. “We know how powerful work-based learning can be for providing the critical relevance that supports the academic and technical skills students learn in their CareerTech programs. And we know how powerful the voice of students are to other students.”
Read more on the Oklahoma CareerTech website and see the videos on CareerTech’s YouTube channel.
Then: His dad taught him self-reliance and independence at an early age. Nathan Dial said the two of them worked on go-karts and lawnmowers before his dad started teaching him about cars. When Dial was 14 years old, he built his own dragster. After that, he was hooked.
Dial received his formal automotive training at Pontotoc Technology Center, taking classes while working at a car dealership. He said he had barely started his coursework at the tech center when he decided he wanted to teach there. He carried out that dream nearly two decades later.
A 2000 graduate of PTC, Dial continued his education at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology’s GM automotive program in Okmulgee. He was the youngest person in Oklahoma to receive the prestigious GM World Class certification.
After college, he began building his automotive shop while he taught small engine repair at Latta Schools. After 11 years in the public school classroom, Dial saw the opening he’d been waiting for – his perfect job.
He signed on as an automotive instructor at PTC about 18 years after he enrolled as a student there. He said the job is all about the opportunity to make a difference.
“I get to invest in the lives of our students in such a way that it probably changes the paths of their families for generations,” he said.
NOW: Dial’s students aren’t the only auto workers he oversees. He and his wife own Double D Automotive near Ada, Oklahoma, and manage a staff of six.
Dial said he enjoys building cars, but he enjoys building futures even more.
“I’ve had students who never even thought about going to college receive a $50,000 scholarship through our Hot Rodders program,” he said.
“I get to see their lives changed forever when they pursue fulfilling careers that happen to pay very well.” -- Nathan Dial, auto instructor and shop owner
Enid News & Eagle spotlights Autry Tech health science programs
Autry Technology Center’s health science programs were in the news recently in an article in the Enid News & Eagle.
Autry has three full-time health science career training programs for high school and adult students and five advanced medical adult-only classes. The tech center focuses on training students to go to work in the community, said Brady McCullough, CEO and superintendent.
Read more on the Enid News & Eagle website.
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The harder I work, the luckier I get. -- Samuel Goldwyn
