After graduating from J.R. Tucker High School in Henrico
County, Doug chose J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College for two reasons. First, he wanted to study automotive
technology, and Reynolds offered the Ford Automotive Student Service
Educational Training (ASSET) program which provides an automotive education
focused exclusively on current Ford products. Secondly, he was offered a full
scholarship so the stress of paying for college was eliminated.
Arriving at Reynolds, Doug immersed himself in college life
while excelling in his automotive studies. He served as a student ambassador,
participated in the JSR Lead Program and served as vice president of the
student council on the Goochland Campus.
He joined and remains a board member for Project STIR (Sustainable
Transportation Initiative of Richmond) whose goal is to make the Greater
Richmond Region the national model in building an innovative, sustainable
transportation system that moves people in a greener way.
One of Doug’s instructors, Michael Trapani, recognized his
talents and encouraged him to continue his education beyond automotive
technology to the field of engineering. Doug quickly realized the value of
having a “Plan B” for his future and after earning his Associate in Applied
Science in Automotive Technology, he returned to Reynolds to earn a second
Associate degree, this time in Engineering. He then transferred to Virginia
Commonwealth University to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, with a goal of completing his
education in December 2013.
While a student in the Ford ASSET program at Reynolds, Doug
was required to work at a Ford dealership - it was at this time he met a Field
Service Engineer from Ford Motor Company in Detroit. Field Service Engineers (FSE) travel to
dealerships as technical specialists to diagnose problems and assist local
mechanics when there is an issue the local mechanic can’t resolve. Intrigued by the position, Doug asked the FSE
about his position and how he acquired it.
The FSE gave Doug the contact information for the recruiter who had
hired him and suggested he contact her.
Doug made the inquiry, sent a resume as requested, then traveled to
Detroit for an interview, and in the end was offered a position as a service
engineer in a call center. The service
engineer’s role is to diagnose and resolve problems for mechanics over the
phone. If they are unable to do so, a
field service engineer is dispatched to the dealership.
Doug realized that this was not only his dream job, but an
opportunity that might not come again.
He moved to Dearborn Michigan in mid-June and has been on the job since.
Although he won’t be graduating from
VCU in December as planned, Doug has already made arrangements to complete his mechanical
engineering degree by next spring at a college in Michigan.
Doug noted, “Reynolds opened so many doors for me, and they
are still opening. I had so many
experiences that I would never have had if I went to another school. Attending Reynolds was a fantastic experience
and the best decision I ever made. I am
now the school’s biggest advocate, recommending it to others at every
opportunity.”
Doug has given back to Reynolds as well. This spring he was part of a team of four VCU
students who designed and created a self-parking golf cart with the ability to
park itself simply with the press of one button. The project, a collaborative effort between
VCU and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, was one of the projects
displayed at VCU’s School of Engineering Senior Design Expo 2013. The golf cart now resides at Reynolds where
future automotive students will use the vehicle as a lab tool for a new course
entitled Automotive Electronic Guidance Control Systems. Ford noted, “My first
degree at Reynolds was in Automotive Technology, so it means a lot to me to be
able to give back to future Reynolds students so they can learn and grow as
technology evolves in the auto industry.”
One can’t help but wonder with the last name of Ford, if
Doug is any relation to that “Ford” family, but he said there is no relation
that he has been able to find, at least not so far.
