TCAT Board names SOAR Award Winners

Published 12:53 pm Sunday, April 12, 2020

TCAT — John Lee of Elizabethton, coordinator of NC3 Industry training and SkillsUSA at TCAT Elizabethton, was named 2020 TCAT Staff Member of the Year by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) on Tuesday.

Lee, a native of Wise, Va., is a graduate of Northeast State Community College and Nashville Diesel College. He holds ASE Certification and is a Master Diesel Technician. Currently he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Pittsburg State University.

“Coming from a family of educators,” Lee said, “there is no greater reward than seeing a student succeed and create a better life for themselves. This is why I entered education and why I am proud to be a part of the College System of Tennessee.”

College President Dean Blevins said this was a big honor for TCAT Elizabethton to have one of its key staff members receive the 2nd Annual Statewide Outstanding Achievement Recognition (SOAR) Award from TBR.

“Our system’s mission— and the mission of each of our colleges —is the success of all our students and the development of Tennessee’s workforce. Our graduates power Tennessee’s economy. It’s appropriate that we recognize the outstanding students — and the outstanding faculty and staff members on our campuses who work with students every day to help them succeed,” said TBR Chancellor Flora W. Tydings.

The College System of Tennessee, governed by TBR, is the state’s largest public higher education system, with 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology and the online TN eCampus serving approximately 140,000 students annually.