February 10, 2021
ASU-Beebe “Life as a Vanguard” series introduces Kendall Casey, Career Education Division
Kendall Casey has worked at ASU-Beebe for 16 years, arriving on campus in the fall of 2004 as an instructor in Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD), and is currently Master Instructor and the Director of Career Education.
Prior to ASU-Beebe, Casey worked at Tokusen USA in Conway for two years, where he was the Special Wire Technical Sales Representative, assisting customers in California, Arizona, and Texas. He was able to visit Japan seeing that country from Tokyo to Fukuoka while purchasing machines and learning best practices for the company. He explained that the Japanese company manufactured wire in tires and wire to slice silicon wafers used to make computer chips and solar panels.
Casey then worked 10 years at Frigidaire, which manufactured commercial refrigerators and freezers like you see at Baskin Robbins. “Managers at Frigidaire supported growth and education for their employees, so I was able to begin taking engineering night classes at UALR,” said Casey.
After earning an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer-Aided Drafting and Design at ASU-Beebe, he was able to work as a draftsman in Frigidaire’s product engineering team. He was promoted to lab technician, compliance coordinator, product designer, and engineering laboratory manager. He continued his higher education pursuits, taking night classes at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, earning a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology.
Casey later earned a Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems. “I learned the value of working closely with an advisor,” said Casey. “Through teaching and advising, I try to make every interaction a positive experience for the student so that they can succeed to their best ability.”
Casey was the 2013 Outstanding Faculty award recipient at the Arkansas Community College (formerly AATYC) conference. Last year, he received the Strong From The Start Strategic Plan spotlight award. Casey is a member of the Association of Technology Management & Applied Engineering (ATMAE) accreditation body for Computer Aided Drafting and Design programs, in which he performs site visits and confirms compliance to accreditation standards.
In his community, Casey has been involved in the Faulkner County Shooting Sports Club since 2010, which teaches firearm safety, skills and sportsmanship to youth, ages eight to 18 years old. This club participates in the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program serving approximately 8,000 participants across the state. Casey is also the sponsor for the collegiate level ASU-Beebe Vanguard Marksmen shooting group and the Vanguard Anglers fishing teams.
Additionally, many in Casey’s family have attended ASU-Beebe over the years. His wife Angela majored in agriculture, their son Landon and his wife Kathryn were both agriculture business graduates and his middle son Layton graduated with a business degree. Their youngest son, Lawson, is still in high school and plans to enroll after graduation.
Whether teaching remote or in-person, Casey said he is motivated each day to help students achieve their goals and find their career path. “I advise my students to embrace the learning process, spend the time it takes to be successful, and make thoughtful decisions on how to spend their time to achieve a balance in personal interests and education goals,” said Casey.
Life as a Vanguard is a social media series produced by the ASUB Office of Marketing and Public Relations. These are ‘get to know’ articles of interest about students, faculty, and staff within the Vanguard campus community.