Faculty

Contact info and brief biography of our automotive faculty.

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Rob Holm

Technology Department Chair

(509) 527-2712 (office)
(509) 529-5995 (home)
rob.holm@wallawalla.edu

M.S.—Purdue University—2006

Professor Holm has always loved cars. He graduated from WWC in 1996 and immediately went to work for BMW of Bellevue where he became their main diagnostic technician and trainer of new technicians. In 2000, he then moved with his family back to Walla Walla where he worked for Blue Ridge Aircraft Service as an aircraft mechanic. Professor Holm began his teaching career at Walla Walla University in 2003 and has been in charge of the automotive program here ever since. He is an ASE certified Master Mechanic with Advanced Engine Performance certification, a BMW Certified Mechanic, and has FAA Airframe and Powerplant mechanic certification. In 2006, Professor Holm earned his Master's degree in Technology from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. His research centered around four-year automotive technology programs in the U.S. and their curricula. Rob is married to Megan, also a graduate of WWU. Between the two of them, they have four boys. In Rob's limited spare time, he enjoys waterskiing, motorcycles, golf, piano, flying, and high-performance cars.

Teaching: Internal combustion Engine Theory, Manual Drive Trains and Axles, Electrical systems, Engine Rebuilding Lab, Engine Performance, Suspension and Steering Systems, Climate Control Systems, Automatic Transmissions, Advanced Engine Performance, High Performance Engine Tuning, Body Electronics and Computer Systems, Internship, and Colloquium. 

James Veverka

Instructor of Technology

(509) 527-2714
james.veverka@wallawalla.edu

 

B.S. – Walla Walla College 2007

Professor Veverka discovered his love for teaching here at WWU when he instructed a course as part of his senior project while earning his degree in Technology with the concentration of Automotive Service. After graduation, he began his career as an automotive technician at Marque Motors in Portland, OR. There he specialized in Porsche, Audi, VW, and BMW repair. His job was primarily performing service and repairs as a BMW technician, but he also enjoyed working on classic cars and a large portion of his time was spent on air-cooled Porsches from the 1950s through the early 1990s. In 2010 he became and Career and Technical Education instructor at South Medford High School teaching Automotive Service and Welding. He remained there until 2019 when he started a new Auto and Welding program on the north Oregon coast in Warrenton. In 2023 he returned to the WWU Technology Department as assistant professor of Automotive Technology. He is married to Teresa who graduated from WWU with her M.S.W. in 2010. They have two boys and enjoy spending their spare time in the woods camping and riding dirt bikes together.

Teaching: Internal combustion Engine Theory, Manual Drive Trains and Axles, Electrical systems, Engine Rebuilding Lab, Suspension and Steering Systems, Climate Control Systems, and Automatic Transmissions.

Personal Interests: Off-roading with both 2 and 4-wheeled machines, karting, high-performance driving, fly fishing, and surfing