February 2023 NACAT President's Update

February 2023 NACAT President's Update

Tom Millard, NACAT President

Happy New Year, 2023! It is the season when, like a Janus coin, we both look back and forward simultaneously. In my rearview I see changes to vehicle manufacturers and models, tools, products, and even my school’s administration. NACAT had 109 colleagues join our membership since January 1, 2022. We look ahead to continuing to grow our membership while continually evolving to best service educator needs. We also look forward to both the upcoming 2023 VISION Hi-Tech Training & Expo and the 2023 NACAT Conference, which will be held July 10th – 13th at San Jacinto Community College in Houston Texas.

Your NACAT board has discussed and are in the process of developing a Mentor Training Opportunity that will be available to any and all NACAT members, whether you are new to teaching, only have a few years of experience, or are a seasoned veteran. On April 20, 2023, we will be hosting sessions, and we are looking forward to meeting, sharing, and discussing harships, accomplishments, and goals. If you are an experienced educator and would like to volunteer to be part of this process, please let me know and I can share your information with the board and the mentor training crew.

The 2023 VISION Hi-Tech Training & Expo is going to be held March 2nd – 5th in Overland Park, Kansas. If you need the latest and greatest trainings available, this is a very helpful conference and is very similar to our NACAT conference. Please check out the Educator Think Tank classes available. NACAT will have a booth so we may share information on the upcoming NACAT Conference while meeting new, old, and future friends. If you make it to Overland Park, please come by our booth. I would be honored to meet with you.

We have recently organized a Families of NACAT Committee, and there is a FACEBOOK group for Families as well. Your Families of NACAT Chair is Tamber Nellinger, and the Vice Chair is Bonnie Millard. The Families of NACAT will be looking for family activities for the 2023 conference, as well as future conferences. Please wish them luck in helping expand our family activities.

The biggest challenge I see for all of us is the change of mind set from I.C.E. (Internal Combustion Engine) to Hybrid and EV vehicles and training. The most important subject, in my opinion, is the diagnosis and training we give our students so they are more prepared for the future, as we ALL teach our students about the importance of attendance, accountability, and great citizenship.

NACAT’s annual elections are coming upon us and we will have openings for you to join the new and exciting NACAT Board of the future. Once again, this year the elections will be administered through the NACAT site. We hope to finalize the elections in mid-April.

I am looking forward to all the new changes and the upcoming events of this year, and I look forward to seeing you at the VISION and NACAT conferences later this year.