Meet our Staff! 

Carrie Lacy is the Careers in Education Instructor at MTEC.  Carrie joined our staff during the 2019-2020 school year.  Carrie is a seasoned veteran in the field of education.  Carrie previously was a math teacher at South Middle School and then ultimately became the Assistant Principal at North Elementary School. Once she began to start her family, she took a break from the world of public school education and had the opportunity to work within the private school sector, running two different preschools in Morgantown.  This allowed her to be with her children as they developed and enabled her to have an active role in their education.  She has a strong passion for her career and has worked within a variety of roles in our community that allows her to have direct experience with all areas of her curriculum in the Careers in Education course work.  Although Carrie is not a Morgantown Native, she has resided here since 1994 and feels that she is a true Mountaineer!   She originally hails from the northern panhandle and graduated from WVU in 1998.  Carrie’s passions are her children, Lauren, 13 and Isaac, 5.  They enjoy being outdoors and in their free time can be found, hiking, camping, fishing or exploring this amazing state.  

Kevin Clark is the Law & Public Safety teacher at MTEC. He joined their teaching staff in August of 2015 after retiring from the Morgantown Police Department with 23 years of service. During the course of his law enforcement career, Officer Clark served many roles within the agency as well as obtaining a BA in Criminal Justice. Starting in 1991, he attended the West Virginia State Police Academy from which he graduated as class valedictorian. Following graduation, he began his career as a patrolman and then as a field training officer (FTO). In 1996, Officer Clark was transferred to the detective division where he worked as an investigator and a polygraph examiner conducting lie detector tests throughout the state. He was later promoted to sergeant and returned to the patrol division. He continued to be promoted through the years reaching the rank of captain, where he was put in charge of all department operations. Some of his responsibilities included the supervision of the day-to-day activities of 75 sworn officers and 12 civilians, budgets, grants, and worked with other local agencies to ensure the safety and welfare of the community. After retiring from MPD he has assumed the role of a Morgantown Police Commissioner where he is involved in hiring, promotions, and conducting hearings regarding officer conduct and grievances.  Following retirement, he obtained his teaching credentials which have allowed him to build a new program from the ground up and educate and prepare students for a role as future law enforcement professionals. He has educated and trained a number of individuals and teams who have competed in SkillsUSA competitions. Several of those have won West Virginia State Championships in Criminal Justice and Crime Scene Investigation.

Chef Brian Covell possesses a remarkable ability to create and retain the individual character of each of his dishes, insisting on quality and uniqueness. He works tirelessly to challenge student and client expectations while embracing great colors and textures all while influencing the way they view and taste food. Chef Brian served in the Army National Guard for 15 years and brings his experience as a Veteran & Culinary Arts Education Teacher to Morgantown, WV. As an Educator, Catering Business Owner and Real Estate Consultant, Chef Brian strives to provide high-quality, personalized service to each and every student he works with. Five words you can count on from Chef Brian - Love, Integrity, Commitment, Passion, and Fun. Chef Brian is a family man with a devotion to God, his beautiful wife, and two beautiful daughters. Chef Brian graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management and Nutrition, Walden University with Master of Science degree in Education and Salem University with Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership. The ProStart pathway provides all his students with a seamless learning experience that combines rigorous academic curriculum with career skills, preparing students for high school graduation and career entry, or a postsecondary education. The ProStart Kitchen at MTEC provides  students with the career skills needed to succeed in the restaurant industry. 

 Ruth is a WVU graduate with a double major in Math and General Science Education who now has 36 years of teaching experience. She believes in lifelong learning and has accumulated over 60 hours of graduate and continuing education credits in a variety of topics. Her first teaching job was at a drug rehab center teaching Math and Computers. Love returned her to WV where she taught Math and Physics for a private High School and then was employed by WVU as a EDP technician. To balance raising a family of 4 children Ruth changed to part-time work the last 20 years. She worked as a bookkeeper, Instructed Math and Job skills for the SPOKES- Adult basic Ed program, provided education services for the HS Homebound program and still teaches adult classes in computers and accounting at MTEC. Her passions are art, technology, and numbers. She enjoys working with students of all ages.

Tonia Fry, our Graphic Design instructor, has only one goal: to see her students succeed. She is a self-proclaimed SkillsUSA “Junkie” by providing every student the opportunity to participate in the leadership and team building experiences. Tonia’s greatest achievements are her children Ben and Emily and managing to stay married for over 33 years. She is a graduate of WV Tech and has over 30 years experience in the graphic design industry.

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Don Robinette Jr knows that successful students become successful adults. He is constantly pushing them to be better and learn all they can. He has been the welding instructor at Monongalia Technical Education Center (MTEC) since 2007. He is originally from Morgantown WV and a graduate of Morgantown High School. Before coming to MTEC, Mr. Robinette had many years in the welding field which included underground, structural, and ornamental welding. Mr. Robinette earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Career-Technical Education from WVU Institute of Technology. He holds a Certified Welding Inspector license, along with Certified Welding Educator and OSHA 10-30 Trainer certifications.

My name is Roberto Flores Jr. I have a wonderful wife and three amazing kids, two boys and one girl.  I am currently serving and have been in the WV Army National Guard for fourteen years as a carpentry/masonry specialist.  I have always had a passion for carpentry and held various jobs within the field of carpentry.  In addition to my Military service and construction jobs, I have served as a substitute teacher In Preston County, WV for two years. I am very excited about my position as a Carpentry Instructor at M-Tec. I am looking forward to sharing my experience and training with the students at M-Tec.

Michael Lamb is the current instructor over the Automotive Technology program. He joined the Monongalia County Technical Education Center (2021) after working with Tucker County High Schools for past 2 years. Graduated with a business degree in 2012, he started the career choice in the Automotive Industry. Automotive Technology Certification (2013), Eastern Technical and Community College, Bachelor of Applied Science (2012) Business Management, Potomac State College of West Virginia University, Associate of Applied Science (2010), Business Management Technology, Potomac State College of West Virginia University.  He really missed the overall enjoyment of teaching newcomers into the industry and people who just wanted to work on their own car for fun. This lead him pursuing the education path bringing years of experience to provide to the next generation of technicians.

Dean has a Bachelors of Science degree (Engineering Technology) from Fairmont State University, is a licensed Master Electrician, Master Plumber, HVAC Technician, and holds a West Virginia Contractors license. After completing his degree at Fairmont State, he began working in the construction industry. 

Throughout his career, he has worked as a carpenter on a variety of projects, including Interstate bridges, residential housing, and commercial enterprises. Dean learned to combine his carpentry skills with electrical and plumbing over the years, becoming proficient in all aspects of building construction. 

Always wanting to be a teacher, he jumped careers, taking a position to teach carpentry in Preston County. He spent six years in Preston County schools, showing students the joy of building. He is excited for his new position at MTEC, in the newly formed Plumbing & Pipefitters program, and hopes to produce a line of highly qualified (and much needed) plumbers for our community. 

Joseph (Joe) Miker III I have been in the HVAC industry for 37 years, of which I have been the instructor at MTEC since 2012. I own and operate a successful full service HVAC contracting company. I'm a senior in the Bachelor of Arts program at WVU and hope to graduate this year. My goal is to better my industry by providing quality employees and giving them the opportunity to succeed.

Harold Varner teaches Embedded Math in several of the CTE courses. He is a graduate of WVU with a degree in Secondary Education with a specialization in Mathematics. He has 32 years of experience teaching from the elementary to high school classroom and has also coached various sports. He joined the MTEC faculty in 2019. His favorite thing about MTEC is watching the students and their enthusiasm for their classes and activities while here.

Emily holds a BA in Multidisciplinary Studies (Music, Native American Studies, & English) from WVU and a MA in Secondary English Education, also from WVU. Ms. Tanzey is a veteran teacher who has worked for 10 years in Monongalia County Schools. For 8 of those years she has served as an English Language Arts teacher. Ms. Tanzey joined the MTEC staff during the 2019-2020 school year. Her passion for literacy instruction, technology integration, and mentoring students is apparent in each of her lessons. As the Embedded English instructor of MTEC, she works with 6 Career & Tech Ed programs to provide language arts support, collaborating with program instructors to provide real-world writing opportunities and job-specific literacy skills. Emily is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Education (with a focus on Social & Comparative Analysis) at the University of Pittsburgh.

Email: pcaskey@k12.wv.us

Amber Cropper joined the Mtec faculty in July 2022 serving as an Option Pathway and English teacher. Mrs. Cropper has a wealth of experience from managing the High Street Branch of Huntington Bank, Family Engagement Coordinator for the GEAR UP Grant via Fairmont State University, Instructional Interventionist, and Special Education teacher with Monongalia County Schools. However, her greatest work was raising her four children. Mrs. Cropper has devoted her life to helping students of all ages become independent learners. She has been married for 30 years to her high school sweetheart and they enjoy spending time together on Tygart Lake. He fishes. She reads. Neither of them claim their empty nest dog, which is still working on her manners and not barking at everything she sees, hears, or smells.