Staff Interview: Mike McKinney
Mike McKinney has been a cornerstone of Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) since 2008. He initially started with JOG in Medina County as a Career Specialist at the Medina County Career Center. He then worked in Summit County at both Garfield and North high schools, as well as the out-of-school program. He started his leadership role in JOG as a County Coordinator for Summit County before moving to Trumbull County, where he works today.
While talking about how he initially joined JOG, Mike said he was student teaching to be a science teacher and his friend (and former superintendent) referred him to apply to work with JOG. “Back when we were only an in-school program, it wasn’t unheard of for the school system to identify somebody to be an instructor for the JOG program then later snag that person to work in their school.” Mike said. He continued, “I got the interview because of him, but it happened to work out because I moved closer to Summit County, and, this way, I was able to continue my career with JOG.”
Mike’s tenure with JOG has brought with it a lot of firsts for us. He has helped kickstart a program in Springfield High School and was the first County Coordinator for the JOG Trumbull County program in Warren, Ohio. When discussing what a day in the life looks like, Mike explained, “In Trumbull, we were given the opportunity to work closer with the county because of our number of out-of-school programming [students] here.”
When asked about his favorite parts of JOG and his career, Mike explained, “The best part of the job is, hands down, the kids. I love seeing them unlock their untapped potential and helping them get there. Down the road in their lives, it is good to be able to look back and see their progress. Even if something seems insignificant at the time, know that it will help more than you know…. To this day, it is still my favorite part of the job.”
JOG has been helping students unlock their potential in Summit County as the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) Ohio affiliate for 35 years, but there is always more we can do to gain attention. When talking about this, Mike said, “We have been in Akron for 35 years, and, in a way, we are still a smaller organization. Being out [in Warren] for four years shows that it’s going to take some time [to gain recognition], but we’re confident. We’re going to keep trying and trying again.”
Mike has been one of the most important figures in JOG and their expansion of services. From new schools to new counties, we could not do what we do without him. He truly is a great embodiment of what JOG strives to promote and achieve. We are lucky to have him with us to spearhead our programming in Trumbull County.
