Biography: John B. McGill
John McGill’s desire to protect the environment began with growing up in the outdoors: playing in the woods of the South Carolina Piedmont, camping with the Boy Scouts, hiking parts of the Appalachian Trail, and canoeing in Minnesota and Canada. Influenced in high school by the Southeast’s leading bird bander, Bill Hilton, Jr., Mr. McGill majored in biology at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. While attending college, Mr. McGill conducted research to develop in vitro techniques for culturing endangered freshwater mussel species. Traveling the state of South Carolina, he studied hazardous waste incineration, hazardous waste landfills, and aluminum manufacturing as well as visited some of the State’s most distinct natural areas. While Science Department Chair and in a K-12 school, Westminster Catawba (WC), Mr. McGill led nature-based fieldtrips and earned a master’s degree in biology with an emphasis on ecology. The master’s degree included research on symbionic fungal endophytes, mycorrhizae, and legumes. Mr. McGill also served WC as principal and as a member of the interim administrative leadership team, and later as a board member. While at WC, Mr. McGill began teaching at York Technical College as an adjunct and was hired full time to develop the now successful environmental program, which has an emphasis on environmental compliance. As Science Department Chair, he recently developed a biotechnical/chemical operator program, which emphasizes biotechnical techniques, biodiesel production, and water and wastewater treatment.
Mr. McGill’s technical experience includes plastisol research and development and quality control; SC Department of Health and Environmental Control certified laboratory operations, and wastewater plant operations licensure. Safety experience and training include: OSHA 10 hour Safety & Health certification, 8 hour HAZWOPER certification, 8 hour DOT Hazardous training, and 16 hour RCRA Hazardous Waste Management training. As Science Department Chair, Mr. McGill directs the York Technical College laboratory hazardous waste management program and manages a small scale biodiesel production facility and has served on the York County Citizens Solid Waste Committee.
