Featured Stories

Overview
Featured Instructor

Gary Johnson

Fire Science Technology & Fire Science Technical Rescue

Gary Johnson standing next to his dog on a snowy trail.

Associate Professor Gary Johnson has been teaching full time at COTC since 2013. Prior to teaching, he was a firefighter and paramedic with the Marysville Fire Department from 1980 to 2012, serving as assistant chief from 1987-2000 and chief from 2000-2012. He is also a U.S. Air Force Veteran.

Student Spotlight

Reina Arey

Nursing Technology

Reina Arey

From a young age, Reina Arey wanted to be a nurse. Back then, she was in awe of the nurses who cared for her younger siblings in the NICU. Today, it is the nurses braving the COVID-19 pandemic who continue to inspire her as she pursues a nursing degree at Central Ohio Technical College (COTC).

“Nurses have a desire to help people. When someone is hurt, nurses can nurture them back to a healthy state,” she said as she explained her appreciation for the profession.

Featured Instructor

Robert Johnson

Human Services Program

Headshot of Instructor Robert Johnson

Instructor Robert Johnson began teaching at COTC in 2018 and has classes at all four COTC campuses – Newark, Coshocton, Knox and Pataskala – and online. His schedule includes a variety of courses from the human services student’s first semester to their last. He is a U.S. Navy veteran, COTC alumnus and Licensed Independent Social Worker.

Featured Instructor

Kimberly Goudy

Business Management Technology

Headshot of Professor Kimberly Goudy

Professor Kimberly Goudy started teaching at COTC in 2002. She teaches entrepreneurship, management and marketing courses at the Newark and Knox campuses and online. She has presented at more than a dozen national and international conferences and made appearances on NBC4. 

Student Spotlight

Clair Fink

Digital Media Design Technology

Clair Fink

Clair Fink went away — far away — to college right after she graduated from high school. But after one year, she realized it was not the experience she expected. With the financial burden of attending an out-of-state university weighing heavy on her mind, the Zanesville resident returned home and transferred to Central Ohio Technical College (COTC). Now she’s in her final semester of the digital media design technology program.

Featured Instructor

Whitney Reese

Radiologic Science Technology

Whitney Reese

In celebration of National Radiologic Technology Week® this November, COTC recognizes the vital work of faculty, students and alumni.

Assistant Professor Whitney Reese has been teaching at COTC since 2009. She serves as the radiologic science technology program’s clinical coordinator and is the faculty advisor of the Radiologic Science Technology Student Organization and COTC’s Ohio Delta Chapter of Lambda Nu National Honor Society for Radiologic and Imaging Sciences. In addition to teaching, she is a registered radiographer through the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists and worked at Licking Memorial Health Systems for 15 years until May 2021. Reese is also a COTC alumna and participates in the COTC Alumni Council.

Featured Instructor

James Jarc

Digital Media Design Technology

Assistant Professor James Jarc started teaching at COTC part-time in 2014 and then became a full-time faculty member in 2018. He is a Level II Google Certified Educator and has several micro-credentials in areas such as special education, curriculum design and online instruction. Prior to teaching, he owned a firm that offered creative and technical services to clients across the country. 

Student Spotlight

Kennard Haynie Jr.

Information Technology

KJ standing outside

Just a few years ago, information technology (IT) student Kennard Haynie Jr., known as KJ, would lay his head down at night in his Baltimore, Maryland, home thinking that higher education would always be just a dream for him. After leaving family, friends and an unhealthy lifestyle in Maryland, Haynie moved back to Ohio for a fresh start. While riding as a passenger in his friend’s car he noticed Central Ohio Technical College’s (COTC) Pataskala campus, and Haynie realized that his dream could become a reality that would lead to the life he wants.