Nathan King
From wrenches to formulas, Nathan King’s career path traces back to after-school visits to his grandfather’s Texas auto shop—Beaumont Frame and Frontend—where he learned the importance of calculations through standard and metric tool sizes used to realign vehicle frames.
In junior high, his family moved from Beaumont, Texas, to Carthage, Mississippi, where King attended Leake Academy and then East Central Community College in the adjoining county. It was there he discovered his love for mathematics and statistics and showed a knack for solving complex equations. He then enrolled and graduated from Mississippi State with a degree in mathematics and statistics.
“I’m a first-generation college graduate. Working with my father, Mickey King, and having a great high school math teacher taught me that I could find solutions for electronic and computational-related tasks,” King said. “This helped me to develop self-esteem and the confidence to take risks.”
After graduating from MSU, King spent 19 years teaching high school math and Career and Technical Education, or CTE, engineering, including nine years in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District. He then worked in industry to understand how to blend workforce needs into the teaching profession.
“I used SigmaNest software to troubleshoot and program large-scale CNC machines for production. Additionally, I worked as a data analyst, assessing dimensions and imperfections of machine-cut lumber, addressing statistical deviations, and then reporting findings to senior management. Afterward, I returned to teaching, sharing my industrial experience with students.”
Now, as a project manager with Mississippi State’s Research and Curriculum Unit, King has fine-tuned his curriculum writing skills to guide industrial partners, educators and CTE students to success. He works with CTE teachers, postsecondary instructors and industry professionals to design career-relevant Advanced Manufacturing, Digital Technology, and Construction-related curricula. He also works with the RCU team to develop detailed reports for the Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of School Improvement, among other projects.
“My classroom, business and teaching experiences enable me to recognize the needs of industry partners and educators,” King said. “Every day, teachers, curriculum writers, state department representatives and CTE directors work collectively to move Mississippi forward. That direction must include the health, well-being, well-roundedness and prosperity of our CTE students.”
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