NC3 has some impressive Master Instructors in our ranks and this Instructor Spotlight series aims to highlight the incredibly talented individuals who work with us. We’ll be featuring a new interview in our monthly newsletters, here on our website, and on our social media pages each month.

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Check out our Q&A session below to learn more about Tim, how he originally got involved with NC3, his favorite part of NC3’s Train-the-Trainer events and being an NC3 Master Instructor, and more!

NC3’s Program Manager for Trane, Dominic Mascarella, sat down with Tim  to talk all about his work as an NC3 Master Instructor.

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Thank you for sharing your story with the NC3 Network, Tim! Describe your path to becoming an instructor, what you teach and how long you have been teaching?

The company I worked for here in town was a union company and in 1990 there was a strike. My mother-in-law taught an LPN program in Greenville, TN and she said, “If I can get you in school, would you take a course?” My first choice was to take Heating & Air and upon graduation, I went to work for 30 days at a company that did Appliance, Heating & Air. I was promised a job in Heating & Air but got stuck in Appliance so after three years of working in industry, I got a call from my former instructor asking me if I would like to come work at a Commercial & Industrial company. One day while on a job, I received a call from the President of TCAT – Morristown asking if I would begin teaching a night class for their HVAC/R program to which I agreed and on July 21^st, 1998 I was asked to become a full time an instructor and 25 years later here I am.

Describe something you are proud and passionate about that your school does?

I am most proud of the focus on Hands-on-Training that TCAT encourages as well as what NC3 has brought to not only my program, but our school allowing us to become one of the premier TCAT schools in the state.

How did you get involved with NC3?

I became involved with NC3 through a discussion I had years ago with Larry Hobbs and Michael McAlice, who at the time were the Chair of HVAC/R at Gateway Technical College and the NC3 Program Manager for Trane, respectively. Larry asked if I would be interested in coming to Gateway Technical College to take the Residential HVAC Certifications at their Train-the-Trainer event. After that training, he asked me to come back to shadow instruct alongside him and become a Master Instructor.

How has your professional experience influenced the way that you teach your classes? 

I teach about things that I know about. From my own life experiences and translating that into education for others.

What hobbies or other things do you do outside of school and NC3?

I love to go fishing on Dale Hollow Lake.

What’s a piece of advice for students or that you would give to your younger self or other educators?

“Never give up on your dreams.” That is the best piece of advice I could give anyone. Testing is only a benchmark; you can’t measure intelligence. If you have the heart to succeed, you will.

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For information on TCAT Morristown,  please visit https://tcatmorristown.edu/

For information on NC3’s Trane Program, please visit https://www.nc3.net/partner-trane/

For information on NC3’s Train-the-Trainer program, please visit www.nc3.net/training