Faculty Highlight: Tom Tynan

Jun 24, 2014

Houston Community College Southwest has a built-in celebrity with Tom Tynan, the Director of Construction Trades and School of Continuing Education.

Tynan started out as a welder when he was just 17 years old, and believe it or not, he dropped out of high school with no direction or place to live. Three years later, he enrolled in school at Miami Dade Community College. At the time, it had open enrollment, and Tynan didn't need a high school diploma.There he received 12 credits with a 2.5 GPA after one year while he worked nights in the mail room of the Miami Herald. Once accepted into the University of Miami, Tynan received a five-year professional degree in architecture with a minor in structural engineering.

While in college, Tynan started a small home improvement business.  After graduation in 1985, he took a part-time job at Miami Dade Community College as Director of the Owner-Builder Center where he directed and implemented the teaching curriculum and designed and constructed buildings on campus to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency. One year into the job, Houston Community College hired him to come to Houston and begin a similar program.

Tynan left HCC in 1992 to pursue a successful radio and television career with such shows, including: "The Homeshow with Tom Tynan" on Sports Radio 610 AM, "Home Improvement Hotline" on KTRH 740 AM, "Our House" on KHOU-TV and "Dream House" on the Home and Garden Television Network.  Tynan returned to HCC Southwest in February 2013.

Tynan teaches HCC courses at the Applied Technology Center at 5010 Bluebonnet, a satellite campus in Stafford. Welding and HVAC workforce and continuing education programs are offered at the location. Tynan is also a published author with several books, including: "Building and Remodeling," "Buying and Selling a Home," and "The Best of Tom Tynan."