Alumni Profile

alumni profile KEVIN MCGEE '21 Graduate Degree

Igrew up a Navy brat in the Pacific Northwest with two brothers and a sister. We often relocated from port to port wondering when my submarine officer dad would come through the door. I've seen Bangor, Key West, Pearl Harbor, and San Diego. My parents settled in sunny San Diego when he was discharged. My father went from submarines to teaching Acoustical Engineering at the University of California Los Angeles.

Today I am a retired ironworker living a few miles east of San Diego proper. After high school, I served as a missionary in the South Pacific islands of French Polynesia learning the Tahitian and French languages and learning to slow to the beat of island culture. "Haere Maru" means "Go Slow". Today, when I recognize that I am getting ahead of myself, I pause and can reach back to the shores of Bora Bora to slow each moment. After my mission, I married and started a family. After our third child, we decided to move back to Seattle to be closer to family roots. While working as an ironworker I began teaching in our apprenticeship program and volunteering in our local deaf community as an interpreter. I was afforded the opportunity to serve as the volunteer Director of a deaf/blind organization in the Seattle area. We still volunteer in the community today. Volunteer work provides deep personal enrichment and nourishment to the soul. While teaching in the Northwest, I was blessed to attend the University of Washington, the University of San Diego, and subsequently taught Labor History at Bates College. Our family grew from three to eight and when the last few kids flew the coop, we moved back to San Diego and snuggled into our home here. My wife and I are blessed with eight children who are now scattered across the planet from San Diego, Seattle, and Germany to China. Our question to each of our children was always "What school do you want to go to when you graduate from high school?", not "Do you want to go to school after you graduate?" I am happy to say that today, five of our eight children are pursuing advanced degrees.

My educational journey accelerated in San Diego with a Master's in Occupational Safety and Health and a Master's in Business Administration/Project Management; both from Columbia Southern University. My second master’s from Columbia Southern was an emotional experience. The emotion came from a required humble admission that I was not very good at business. My father used to say that life is a series of ladders that once we climb one, we will find another waiting. He also warned to beware of plateaus; plateaus mean your growth has stopped.

We started our small business in 2015. We are a consulting firm, providing insight and advice to businesses regarding safety compliance. Documents, operating procedures, and training are at the core of our operations. I turned to Waldorf because I realized that we are really in the business of organizational change. I needed to know more about the mechanics of organizational development. Waldorf provided this expertise.

My wife and I are both lifelong learners. She is successfully pursuing advanced studies in Health Science Information systems. She is passionate about her family and sincere in her convictions. She is my rock. When I decided to enhance my ability to enable change in our business client's systems, her advice to me was to "do what you always do."

I chose Waldorf because I am an educator in commercial settings. I train for safety, survival, and production. My master’s in Occupational Safety and Health was not enough for my old ironworker self, so I earned an MBA. This was a smart choice. I lacked business skills. Then I learned about Waldorf’s programs and jumped at the chance to enhance my skills in helping our clients bring their organizations into a better balance between safety and production. Organizational Leadership and Change is our business motto, hence my selection to Waldorf University. I chose Waldorf for its reputation of excellence in academics and quality in delivery. Waldorf reinforces my commitment to service and perseverance. I am proud to be a Waldorf Warrior on my journey into a deeper understanding of educational systems mechanics. There are three takeaways I would share with you. One, online learning is rich and vibrant. Technology today can often reach deeper than an actual classroom. The working mom, busy professional, or distant learner can pursue educational goals and dreams in a virtual classroom. Two, weekly discussions with classmates online provides networking opportunities. All of us see life through a different lens. As an online student with Waldorf, I gained new insights and perspectives looking through the lenses of my classmates. Third, the Waldorf staff are experts. My mentor, and personal Guru, Dr. Larry Hill, filled our discussions and personal communications with unbridled energy. His support and positive outlook inspired me to reach deeper and look harder at an issue when analyzing a process or theory. I think he imparted his Waldorf spirit in his guidance. I carry this with me. We still communicate today. I am a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals, the Risk Management Society, and the American National Standards Institute. These associations are precious food for our productive aspirations as a small business.

Our activities live in the family, camping, fishing, education currency, music, sports, and hugs from our twelve grandchildren. I like fishing when I catch more fish than my wife, but that is yet to happen. We love evening sunsets and unexpected fauna. We maintain a cabin near Julian, Calif. where an abundant population of deer and turkeys roam. Did you know that turkeys can fly and they nest in trees? I enjoy working in the kitchen without measurements, my wife disagrees; she says she likes to follow all the rules; I respond with a "no rules in the kitchen" attitude. I believe in the construct of a dignified neighborhood and depend on order and decency in my daily social life. I am a Bishop in our church who anchors passion to conviction. My passion for service is immovable. The joy and satisfaction that comes from personal sacrifice on behalf of others returns rich blessings. This return makes me feel occasionally guilty because I seem to get more than I give. My favorite weird hobby is research. I enjoy knowing as much as I can. I believe firmly that there are only two things you get to take with you when you die, what you have learned, and your relationships with others; make the best of yourself today brings a pretty good tomorrow. This life is not all there is.

It is always a fabulous day to be a Waldorf Warrior. Depend on your convictions to anchor your passions. Trust your professors. If you take the time to manage your affairs you can enjoy Lux et Veritas the way I have. If I can manage a marriage, eight children, work, and school, so can you! If you have been debating on enrolling for your advanced degree through one of Waldorf’s graduate programs, I highly encourage you to do so. I am thankful I did as it has allowed me to improve my business practice and chart a doctoral candidacy at Walden University as I continue my lifelong learning. I am proud to say I am part of the Waldorf Warrior family.