Josh Barnes

Q: What is your favorite thing about working at Delaware Tech?

“It is like a family. I have enjoyed the working relationships that have become friendships over the years. Everyone is just so friendly.”

Q: Why was it important for you to work at Delaware Tech?

“I was a graduate of two different community colleges. Community colleges gave me the ability to get a great education at a price I could afford. I believe in the mission.”

Q: What did you do before working at Delaware Tech?

“I have had 25 years of experience as a nurse and went to school and worked in the Boston area. I moved shortly after 9/11 to care for our wounded Marines and Sailors at National Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland and decided to stay in the area. National Naval started my career in education as I trained and supervised Navy Corpsman in the hospital setting. I taught for five years after that at a college in Maryland before coming to Delaware Tech.”

Q: Describe your first day at Delaware Tech. What was that experience like?

“Like any first day at a job I guess; I was nervous and excited. But everyone made me feel so welcomed. I was assigned to my mentor that day and I still go to her for questions and guidance 15 years later.”

Q: What changes have you seen in yourself since you started working here?

“I have had major changes. I grew up here as an educator. I had really great role models to emulate. I volunteered for every committee that I could and soaked everything up. That allowed me to grow in breadth and depth, not just as an educator, but as an overall member and leader at Delaware Tech. I went from a nervous newbie in front of the classroom to someone who won the Excellence in Teaching award. I grew from faculty to retention instructor, to program manager of the RN to BSN program to instructional director and department chair of the prelicensure programs at the Terry Campus.”

Q: What hobbies or interests do you have outside of the College?

“I love travel. I have traveled to Cuba with Delaware Tech in 2014, cruised the Mediterranean, visited all of Easter Europe and Russia, Jerusalem, and was amazed and humbled by the city of Petra in Jordan.”

Q: Do you have a favorite memory from your time at Delaware Tech thus far?

“There are many. I will choose a funny one. One year at Employee Appreciation Day being held on campus, they had a band that was singing “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer and I was dancing on the grass. I was called up to the stage to dance in front of the collegewide faculty and staff. Someone recorded it and uploaded it to social media. Let it be known I am not a good dancer, but to this day when I visit other campuses people recognize me and compliment my performance!”

Q: What’s something people may not know about you?

“I started my life’s journey wanting to be an actor. I auditioned for One Life to Live. I was an extra in Back to the Future 2, and earned my Screen Actors Guild card on a TV series called “The Young Riders.” I earned the card and $1,500.00 that day for saying to Steven Baldwin and Josh Brolin, “He’ll never make it.” I never made it either, as an actor, but am so happy to be a nurse educator at Delaware Tech.”

Q: What are your future goals?

“I have already reached higher than I thought I would. I would like to explore serving on a few new committees at Delaware Tech. I would like to do more volunteer work in the community and, of course, I would like to add a few more continents to my list of travel explorations.”