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Prior to working as Campus President at Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Houston, Darrin Brust spent his career in retail, working for 25 years for Walmart and Sam’s Club as a Market Director, Manager and Regional Buyer. Brust was recruited to come on as Campus President at UTI Houston in 2013 and has served in that position since. Brust made the transition to working in education at UTI Houston because he was in interested in the UTI culture and mission of putting people – especially the students and instructors – first.
Under Brust’s leadership, UTI Houston has been named a School of Excellence after both of the most recent accreditation renewal audits conducted by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Brust also underwent a voluntary in-depth training program with ACCSC to earn the distinction of being a Certified Accreditation Professional. Brust says his training is constantly helpful in maintaining UTI Houston’s compliance to rigorous accreditation and regulatory standards.
As the second campus built by UTI and the current oldest campus in the UTI network, Brust says UTI Houston has its “own personality and character,” with the staff and students taking pride in continuing a long-lasting legacy built over the past 37 years. Brust works with around 100 people at UTI Houston, including instructors, career advisors and student services professionals. He says his goal is to make UTI Houston the best campus in the UTI system in terms of student outcomes and to maintain consistency in compliance levels in accreditation bodies and surveys.
Like other UTI schools, Brust says he wants to make UTI Houston the top choice for training in the greater Houston area for Automotive, Diesel and Collision Repair programs. UTI Houston will open its Welding program in April 2020.
Brust is active in the Greater Houston Workforce Commission, an organization that finds ways to improve the lives of Houston citizens through workforce training and workforce readiness. Brust also actively pursues relationships with school leaders and employers in the Houston area to promote the value of trade school education at UTI Houston.
Brust says trade school is a viable choice for hands-on learners who want to learn a skill in a non-traditional type of learning environment. Compared to traditional 4-year colleges where students might be in a lecture hall with hundreds of other people, trade schools like UTI give students one-on-one attention.
Another interesting aspect to trade school education at UTI, Brust says, is that industry technology moves quickly, which enables a constant evolution of curriculum development.
Brust characterizes instruction at UTI Houston as purposeful. Instructors at UTI Houston are passionate about what they do and make it their mission to give back to the industry by teaching.
“Instructors go out of their way to help students be successful and understand and help the lightbulb go off,” says Brust. “It amazes me we take people who have been in a shop environment and train them to be instructors. We don’t take teachers and train them to be technicians – we do it the other way around.
There’s a definite purpose and a need for what we do,” Brust continues. “We all understand that, and it’s about helping people see success in ways they may have never thought about being successful.”
Brust holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management, General, from University of Arkansas. He says his decades of experience in the retail industry have helped him successfully relate to others, which has resulted in meaningful relationships with UTI Houston’s employer partners, students and everyone he works with.
His priority is getting students to school, keeping them in school, graduating them and getting them in the career field. Student outcomes are the greatest measurement of success at UTI Houston.
Brust says he also wants to continue to maintain the reputation of quality the school has built while finding new and better ways to do things. Brust identifies as a humble leader, one guided by integrity who is always open and approachable. Through team collaboration at UTI Houston, the school can continue to provide top services to students.
Brust was born in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1969. He and his wife Heidi have been married since 1994 and have three kids: Zack, 24; Josh, 22; and Olivia, 17. The family has a small horse farm and manages up to six horses, including his daughter’s competition horse. The family often spends weekends at horseback riding and jumping competitions.
Brust’s son Josh graduated from UTI Houston in 2018, completing the automotive and diesel programs there before completing the Manufacturer-Specific Advanced Training Mercedes-Benz DRIVE Program in Grapevine, Texas. Josh now works for Mercedes-Benz of Houston Greenway. Josh had no automotive background when he started at UTI Houston but gained confidence with every course, a testament to the success students can have at UTI Houston no matter what their previous experience has been.
Want to find out more about continuing your education at UTI Houston? Just click the link below or call (800) 834-7308 to speak with one of our friendly Admissions Representatives.
