Mark Lenz Memorial Scholarship

Mark Lenz Memorial Scholarship

Mark Lenz served as president of TCAT Nashville for 12 years and was passionate about his students, faculty and staff, and the communities the college serves. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and worked nearly 30 years in industry, mostly at Bosch Corporation as a production supervisor and training and development manager. In that role, he collaborated with and provided instruction at universities and technical colleges. He went on to earn his master’s degree and transitioned to higher education in 2009 when appointed by the Tennessee Board of Regents to lead Nashville’s public technical college.

Under Lenz’s leadership, TCAT Nashville expanded its programs to more than 20 high-demand career fields and established new apprenticeship partnerships with area businesses and industries to enable students to work and earn while they learn. He opened a new facility with state-of-the-art equipment to train students to repair and maintain large diesel engines, again in partnership with engine and parts manufacturers.

The college is also a model institution frequently visited by education leaders and policymakers, and Lenz enjoyed showing visitors around, stopping in classrooms and labs where he introduced students displaying the skills they were learning. In early 2020, he hosted the U.S. Secretary of Education and Gov. Bill Lee on a tour and a forum on the value of career education.