Alumni

Welcome, Alumni and Friends of Northeast State!

The 1966 Society

You can now pledge to donate $19.66 (the founding year of Northeast State Community College) a month to become a member of the 1966 Society. See more about the pledge in the video below.

Alumni Benefits

Career and Workforce Development Center

The Career & Workforce Development Center at Northeast State Community College is your one-stop shop for career planning and job search needs. Whether you are looking for your dream job or climbing the career ladder, we invite you to partake in our free career services.

Current CWDC Newsletter

Basler Library

As graduates/alumni, you have full access to Northeast State's Basler Library. Alumni status grants access to our library's collection of over 70,000 books, graphic novels, DVDs, CDs, magazines, and other materials, along with the following privileges:

Borrowing items from the library
Use of library computers
Wi-Fi access on campus
Access to online databases, including eBooks (on campus only)
Ability to reserve group study rooms for Zoom meetings, etc.
Option to reserve conference rooms for your community group
Alumni are also able to contact librarians for research assistance remotely via the Ask-A-Librarian/Chat with a Librarian options on our website, as well as by phone.

To sign up for library access after graduation, stop by the circulation desk on the second floor of the library on the Blountville campus or fill out this form.

Outstanding Alumni 2023: Johnna Wood

From left, Ira Barron, Johnna Wood, and Peter Raber. Wood was selected as Northeast State’s outstanding alum for 2023.

Wood, a 2018 Northeast State graduate in general studies, is being recognized for her educational contributions and support of students in establishing the Kevin “Woody” Wood Scholarship for the Trades endowment.

Kevin “Woody” Wood and Johnna Wood were a power couple. Woody worked as a site safety manager in the industrial and construction industry. Johnna developed her career in project administration, managing large construction jobs across various sectors.

They both realized how skilled tradespeople created an advanced of life for civilization. This dedication fueled Johnna’s desire to create the Kevin “Woody” Wood Scholarship for the Trades at Northeast State in 2023.

“Skilled hands are gifts from God; do not take them for granted,” said Johnna. “Own your work.”

While working for a water treatment company, Johnna met Woody during a blizzard. She recalled that he was the only salesperson at the company with a four-wheel drive truck. Wood, her husband, and their son, Ira, traveled across the country. While working for SW&B Construction on the Willamette project in Kingsport, they put down roots in Mount Carmel. The two spent their lives together until his death in 2022.

“In every new place we worked, we treated it as an adventure,” said Wood. “We were an inseparable team twenty-four hours a day.”

Johnna Wood was born in Isle of Wight County, Va., the oldest of three daughters. She counts herself fortunate to be one of the students enrolled in the first integrated class of 1968 at Hardy Elementary School. She later graduated from Smithfield High School.

From an early age, her parents instilled education and a positive work ethic in Johnna. Her mother was a hospital administrator in Portsmouth, Va. Her father was a skilled ironworker and rigger at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. Following high school, she attended a business college and Tidewater Community College.

She cited their son as an example of learning a skilled trade to get a head start in life. Ira earned an associate degree in laboratory technology at Northeast State. He worked in the lab technology field while completing his degree in information technology at King University.

The couple’s niece, Yvette Hardin, thought of the scholarship to honor her uncle Woody. Johnna said the scholarship represented the right legacy to support students pursuing the skilled trades.

“We are delighted to honor Johnna as an outstanding alum,” said Megan Almaroad, Director of Development. “The Wood family personified excellence in that industry. They also possess the giving spirit to encourage the next generation of skilled trade professionals to achieve their best.”

Outstanding Alumni 2022: Clayton Dowell

Clayton Dowell, chief executive officer for Bristol Tennessee Essential Services, was selected as Northeast State Community College’s outstanding alum for 2022.

The award was presented at the Northeast State Foundation’s spring 2023 meeting at the MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport.

Dowell graduated from Northeast State in 2006 with an associate degree in pre-engineering.

Dowell is a native of Northeast Tennessee and joined BTES in May 2009. He assumed the CEO role on Jan. 1, 2023. Previously, he served as vice president of engineering.

“There is no better person to lead BTES into the future than Clayton Dowell,” Erin Downs, chair of the Board of Directors, said upon his selection as CEO. “Clayton is a proven leader with a clear vision and deep understanding of the business.”

Dowell also holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee Tech University, a master’s in Engineering Management degree from the University of Tennessee, and is a registered Professional Engineer.

Dowell is active in the Bristol community, serving on the Bristol TN/VA Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors since 2012 and as a Rotary Club of Bristol VA-TN member.

He served as a leader on the Baldrige team at BTES, which led the organization to earn the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2017–the nation’s highest honor for quality.

He was on the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) Board of Examiners in 2010, a 2011 graduate of the LEAD Bristol program, and was part of the 2011 Tri-Cities’ 40 Under Forty class.

BTES is a municipally owned electric utility that provides high-speed Internet, telephone, and cable television services over a fiber optic network. BTES has more than 34,000 electric customers in a 280-square-mile service area in the City of Bristol and Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Outstanding Alumni 2021: Eric Henley

Outstanding Alumni Eric Henley being presented a plaque by Northeast State President Dr. Jeff McCord

Pictured: Eric Henley (L), Northeast State President Dr. Jeff McCord

Northeast State Community College proudly announces Eric Henley as the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award. The honor recognizes Henley's achievements and contributions to automotive repair in the region and service to the community.

Henley, the owner of H-Tek Auto Care in Gray, Tenn., epitomizes the combination of ability and education. His journey into the automotive world was sparked by the influences of his mechanically inclined father and grandfather, who instilled in him a curiosity for how and why things work.

Reflecting on his formative years, Henley recalls fond memories of working alongside his father on old cars, igniting his passion for auto repair. This passion led him to Northeast State’s automotive service program, where he flourished under the guidance of dedicated instructors such as Dick Cartwright and Bill Bright.

Graduating from Northeast State in December 1989, Henley's education laid the foundation for his successful career in the automotive industry. He attributes much of his success to the comprehensive training and diagnostic skills acquired during his time at Northeast State.

"Northeast State helped take my natural abilities and put them together with diagnostic skills," says Henley. "If you want to go into automotive repair, you need to go to Northeast State and get training."

After graduating from Northeast State in 1989, Henley worked for a local Honda dealership for 15 years. In 2006, he became a small business owner, founding H-Tek Auto Care in Gray.

His commitment to excellence and dedication to customer service have propelled him to success, earning H-Tek a reputation for meticulous service and customer satisfaction.

In 2008, he purchased a building on the Bobby Hicks Highway near the intersection of state routes 36 and 75, eventually allowing him to expand services to seven work bays and offer expertise on a range of import, diesel, and domestic vehicles.

His philosophy of prioritizing customer satisfaction and tackling tough challenges has earned him a loyal clientele and widespread acclaim.

“Sometimes, people have been somewhere else and can’t get their problem solved—we like to try those,” Henley said. You can’t always resolve everything, but if you can figure it out, you have a customer from then on out—and they go out and tell other people about it. That’s satisfying.”