After 15 years of service, Greg Phillips, Blackhawk Technical College’s Dean of Manufacturing, Apprenticeship, Technology & Transportation (MATT), will retire on June 30.
Greg’s journey began with the U.S. Marine Corps, which he joined right after high school. After his discharge in 1982, he entered the workforce and quickly realized production line work wasn’t the right fit. Instead, he found his calling in industrial maintenance, applying his mechanical skills both on the job and through evening courses at Blackhawk in the 1980s.
In the late ’80s, Greg transitioned into the construction trades as an electrician. Over the next 15 years, he earned journeyman status and ultimately passed the Wisconsin Master Electrician exam in 2006.
Greg began teaching at Blackhawk in 2009 as a substitute instructor for the Electrical Apprenticeship program. By fall 2010, he was hired full-time. His passion for teaching came from a desire to pass on his trade knowledge to the next generation of electricians, he said.
Reflecting on his time at the college, Greg highlighted the remarkable transformation of the Beloit-Janesville Campus.
“The dynamic change in the modality of program delivery, the growth of apprenticeship offerings, and the relocation of the Center for Transportation Studies and the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center to the Beloit-Janesville Campus—it’s been positively colossal,” he said. “The work isn’t done, but I’d like to believe the heavy lift is behind us as a division.”
He also shared insight on the broader changes in education: “The face and value of education are changing at a rate never experienced before. We cannot continue to teach the same way we always have. I encourage my colleagues to think outside the box, be creative, and plan to work harder than you ever have.”
Greg’s impact at Blackhawk has been widely recognized. Over the past year, Greg has received three awards honoring his excellence in education, dedication to student success, and leadership in advancing technical training. In March 2024, he was named the Milton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Educator of the Year. In February, he was inducted into the Wisconsin Apprenticeship Hall of Fame at the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s Biennial Apprenticeship Conference, and in April, Greg was honored as Educator of the Year by Forward Janesville. These accolades are a testament to his influence and the respect he has earned from students, colleagues, and the community.
What Greg says he’ll miss most are the people.
“There are so many good people that I’ve met over the years–people who genuinely care about what they do and care about others,” he said.
He offered special praise for his team in the MATT division: “If you give them good instruction and a focused goal, you need only support them and get out of the way. They care deeply about their programs and their students, and they’ve become a formidable team. They’ll definitely be what I miss the most.”
Greg is especially proud of the flexibility Blackhawk offers students.
“For my division, it means students can enter the workforce sooner and still participate in their education through an earn-and-learn experience,” he said.
With retirement on the horizon, Greg is ready to embrace the next chapter.
“I’m looking forward to doing whatever I want, whenever I want—on my own terms,” he said. “I have my health, a son moving out of state, beautiful weather ahead, great friends, and I enjoy golfing. I’m sure I’ll stay engaged in something. I feel strongly about community engagement, so I’ll still be around,” he said.