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TCAT-Oneida/Huntsville president Dwight Murphy is pleased to announce Chris Chambers has received the Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Oneida/Huntsville SOAR 2019 Faculty Excellence Award. Chris will represent TCAT-Oneida/Huntsville in the regional-level competition. The regional winner will then compete with the other regional winners for the Faculty Statewide Outstanding Achievement Recognition (SOAR) award given by the Tennessee Board of Regents College System of Tennessee.
Chris Chambers began his career path in 1999 as a welding student at the Tennessee Technology Center (now Tennessee College of Applied Technology.) Through the years, his program has won many SkillsUSA State and National welding sculpture medals. In 2012, his post-secondary student won the SkillsUSA gold medal in Welding Sculpture in Tennessee. In 2013, his secondary and post-secondary students won the silver medals in Tennessee in the Welding Sculpture competition. In 2014, Chris’s students won the Tennessee SkillsUSA secondary and post-secondary Welding Sculpture gold medals. That year these students also won the SkillsUSA National Welding Sculpture Gold Medals for both the secondary and post-secondary division. That was the first time an individual teacher won both the secondary and post-secondary National awards in the same year. In 2015, Chris Chambers was chosen as the American Technical Education Association (ATEA) Teacher of the Year for the Nation and his secondary student was chosen as the Student of the Year for the Nation. This year, Chris’s post-secondary student Tennessee State SkillsUSA Gold Medal in Welding Sculpture. Also, this student was awarded the first-ever “Governor’s Choice Award” by Governor Lee. Competing against 26 other states, the same student went on to win the SkillsUSA National gold Medal for Welding Sculpture. Comments from president Murphy, “He is a very talented instructor who knows how to motivate students to excel. Chris Chambers I would say is among the best instructors in the nation. He is a professional. He has an excellent rapport with his student, faculty, and administration. His program trains skilled welders but also produces men and women with great attitudes and work ethics. During his 15-year tenue with TCAT-Oneida/Huntsville, he has established the College’s Welding Technology program as a premier welding program for colleges across the state and nation. We are very fortunate to have him on the faculty at TCAT-Oneida/Huntsville at TCAT-Oneida/Huntsville.”
Chris is the spouse of Dr. Jessica Chambers, and they have two children Carlie and Creston. Chris is a member of First Baptist Church in Oneida.
Picture caption: Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Oneida/Huntsville SOAR 2019 Faculty Excellence Award recipient Chris Chambers pictured with TCAT-Oneida/Huntsville president Dwight Murphy.