Chris Jones served 13 years in the military as an aviation electronics technician then worked eight years as a cyclotron testing engineer. Now, he is training the next generation of technicians at Cleveland State Community College.
Originally from Benton, Tn., Mr. Jones wanted to be a football coach. At his father’s insistence, he enrolled at Hiwassee College and majored in physical education. “Like many kids out of school, I was burnt out,” he said. He asked his college advisor, “What is the quickest way out of here?” Jones changed his major to recreation and left out the education courses. He earned an associate degree from Hiwassee College and a bachelor of arts from Maryville College.
What he didn’t realize at the time was that his career choices changed with that decision; teaching and coaching were no longer an option.
After earning his degree and working for six months, he enlisted in the Navy. “I took the ASVAB test, and they seemed to think that I was smart enough to work on airplanes,” said Mr. Jones. He trained and became an aviation electronics technician. When he left the Navy after serving four years of active duty, he missed the military lifestyle. He joined the TN Air National Guard in Knoxville as a traditional guardsman working one weekend a month then took a full-time guard position serving another nine years.
“I would have absolutely nothing without the military,” said Mr. Jones. “That was probably the smartest decision I’ve ever made. I don’t know where I would be or what I would be doing. It gave me that foundation. Things just kind of snowballed in a positive way from that one decision.”
With his military electronics experience, he was recruited by a company that became Siemens Molecular Imaging. He worked on a team to install particle accelerators (cyclotrons) for medical use. He traveled all over the world as a cyclotron testing engineer.
“We would build the cyclotrons in the factory and test them,” said Mr. Jones. “Then we would break them down, ship them to the customer, and travel to the customer site to install. The trips would last anywhere from six days to 45 days. My mother even thought I was a spy because we went to a lot of off the wall places in Russia and Turkey – not touristy places.”
After eight years, a similar start-up company hired him to work with radioactive isotopes. Mr. Jones said, “We did everything in those jobs – electrical, mechanical, fluid power, everything. It was a high stress job.”
In 2015, the start-up company was struggling, and Jones was laid off. A part-time mechatronics teaching position opened at Polk County High School. After a year, the grant funding for that position expired, and Jones was hired by Cleveland State to teach high school dual enrollment mechatronics classes at the Cleveland State Monroe County Center in Vonore, Tn.
In 2020, Mr. Jones moved to the Cleveland State main campus in Cleveland. Along with teaching mechatronics classes in the Advanced Technologies Department, he teaches for the Cleveland State Workforce Development Department. He provides specialized electrical and mechanical training for local industry partners such as Adient, Del Conca and Whirlpool.
Mr. Jones is a Siemens Level 1 and Level 2 certified instructor. He is also a certified instructor with the National Coalition for Certification Centers (NC3) for hydraulics, pneumatics and additive manufacturing. As a NC3 instructor, he takes the same training and testing that he gives his students. There is a classroom portion and a certain number of lab hours that are completed before students can sit for the test. If they pass the test, they receive an industry recognized certification.
“When I teach the classes for Workforce Development, a lot of the workers have the experience, but they don’t have the certified training that industries want. These students are motivated. It’s nice to know that you are helping them and training the next generation of technicians.”
“The Workforce Development Department at Cleveland State is fortunate to have Chris Jones sharing his wisdom and knowledge with students enrolled in customized and apprenticeship training programs,” said Heather Brown, Workforce Development director. “The students enjoy his talents as well as his calm demeanor and willingness to go the extra mile to ensure understanding of each lesson. Chris's expertise covers a wide gamut. What he doesn't know, he is eager to learn in order to be an even greater asset to his students. I appreciate Chris' dedication to Cleveland State and to all of his students.”
Mr. Jones has two sons. TC is an Army combat medic, and Will just graduated from high school. When he is not teaching, Mr. Jones experiments with 3D printing and metal casting. “My mind has to be moving all the time. 3D printing gives me that creative outlet.”
For more information about Workforce Development specialized training opportunities, contact Heather Brown, Director of Workforce Development, hbrown@clevelandstatecc.edu or 423 614-8793.