Our Staff
Larry Witherspoon Jr. is a Co-Founder and the Executive Director of the Automotive Training Center. Larry has held multiple leadership positions in the U. S. Navy and with Frito-Lay, a Fortune 100 company. He also has 5+ years of sales experience with Cintas, a Fortune 500 company.
In addition to his business experience, Larry grew up watching his father mentor young men. His father was a high-school teacher, coached multiple sports, and worked part-time at a juvenile detention facility. Larry grew up understanding the difficulties all young men face becoming adults especially those that come from challenging circumstances. ATC is a place where both of his passions can thrive. He has taken those experiences growing up and combined them with his passion for vehicles to start the Automotive Training Center.
Shawn McHargue is ATC’s other Co-Founder and is now our Student Support Director but also assists with teaching when needed. He started off working as a technician at a Pep-Boys, but his last position was as a technician at Anthem Automotive. Shawn also received his ASE Certificate while he was there and has since passed multiple more and has multiple Hunter Alignment certificates. He graduated from the University of Central Florida, with a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, minored in Nonprofit Management and received his national certificate as a Nonprofit Leadership and Management Professional. Shawn’s technical and business expertise, along with his non-profit background create a unique skill set that suits him well in teaching students and managing the business side of ATC.
Shawn has always had a knack for building and repairing things. He enjoyed learning to work on his motorcycle and his own car. Shawn loves to help people in general and enjoys educating people about regular maintenance on their vehicles. To this day he is most passionate about training up the young men for their bright futures.
Jody Gibson brings over fifteen years of experience in the automotive industry to her role as an Entry-Level Technician Instructor at ATC. She began her career as a cashier in an independent quick lube shop, and she quickly worked her up to technician and then manager. Jody’s management experience includes quick lube and repair facilities such as Jiffy Lube and Grease Monkey. Working alongside her husband, she has helped establish and maintain successful repair shops while mentoring and training the young employees who worked there.
Jody is enthusiastic about new learning opportunities at ATC. Although she has over a decade of experience, multiple ASE certifications, multiple Hunter Alignment certifications, and is a certified Hunter Alignment Instructor. Jody is eager to share her knowledge and expertise with ATC students and looks forward to mentoring them and pushing them to their full potential.
John Gibson proudly serves as our Advanced Level Technician Instructor. The Advanced Level Technician (ALT) program is a new program that launched at the end of 2020. John began working on his own cars at an early age out of necessity. However, he soon discovered that he had a passion for auto repair. He realized that his hobby could support his family and was an outlet for his thirst for knowledge and continued learning.
He’s spent eleven years as a technician, and together with his wife Jody, he has opened and managed several automotive repair facilities throughout the southeast. He is proudly a Certified ASE Master Technician and has multiple Hunter Alignment certificates. John prides himself most on passing his knowledge onto others to help them succeed in their careers and prosper within their communities. John is also passionate about gardening and landscaping in his free time.
Drew Galbreath joins ATC as our Service Advisor. He holds an Associate of Applied Science in Automotive Technology and brings unique auto experience to our team-including: researching valve materials, working with the Utah Valley University Race Team, and being a service advisor for a local Ford dealership. He grew up in a DIY household where he was always working on the family car and has always loved getting his hands dirty.
Drew currently lives in Covington with his wife Grace and their 2-year-old son, Maddox. Outside of work, he enjoys working on cars, spending time with family, riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes, and helping others.
Josh Scott joins ATC staff in a glorious fashion. He came as an Entry Level Technician student, moved up and them completed our Advanced Level Technician program, we hired him as shop help and now he is assisting as an Entry Level Technician Instructor. Along the way he has passed multiple Hunter Alignment courses to be come certified in Hunter alignments. He is currently studying to get his ASE certificates.
Josh is an Georgia native, and has such a deep passion for cars, that he doesn't even know how to take a day off. When he takes a day off its simply to keep working on his own car. He really looks forward to growing as a technician and making a good living off of this career he loves so much.
Melinda is our Student Support and Development Coordinator. She helps with a lot behind the scenes. Every business needs a couple people like that! She brings a wealth of skills to our team having had managed a Starbucks, advertising assistant at Atlanta Journal Constitution, and a number of years doing accounting work. She helps with the care area of our students with Shawn and also helps with the grant writing and fundraising work needed.
Melinda cherishes her time with her her 2 daughters and enjoys spending time working in her yard.