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Meet Our Staff


Kids U

Robbie Kurth

UT-RELYANT UXO Program Secondary Instructor

Robbie Kurth is a retired U.S. Navy veteran with 23 years of service. She also is currently working at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City Beach (NSWC PCD), Florida, as its Explosive Safety Officer. A 1991 graduate of the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), she served aboard USS Simon Lake (AS 33) and on the flight decks of the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) earning surface and aviation warfare insignia.

She was stationed at various EOD Units where she performed UXO work at the following ranges; Navy Research Lab in Virginia, Fallon Range Training Complex in Nevada, Yakima Firing Range in Washington, the Udari Training Range in Kuwait, and the Non-Magnetic Test Area Operational Range in Florida. She also spent 18 months immersed in Arabic language and culture training at Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and was a Naval Parachutist and Helicopter Rope Suspension Master.

In 2005, Kurth completed certification as a High Risk Training Instructor at the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal and, in 2007, qualified as a Master Training Specialist at the Naval Salvage and Diving School. She retired from the Navy in 2010 and started work at NSWC PCD in 2011.

She was contracted by RELYANT Global in 2020 to serve as the UT-RELYANT Unexploded Ordnance Training Program’s secondary instructor.
Kids U

Kevin Mickna

UT-RELYANT UXO Program Secondary Instructor

Kevin Mickna is a retired U.S. Navy veteran with 29 years of service. A 1973 graduate of the Navy's Basic Underwater Demolition and Sea Air Land (SEAL) training, he served his early tours of duty with Underwater Demolition Team 21, SEAL Team 2, Harbor Clearance and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2. He graduated from the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal in 1991 and served 12 years with various Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal operational and training units until retirement in 2003.

In 2009, he completed certification as a High Risk Training Instructor at the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal where he instructed in the school's Tools and Methods Division until transferring to the school's Demolition Division in 2016. Mickna was contracted by RELYANT Global in 2017 to serve as the UT-RELYANT UXO Program's secondary instructor, and he consistently receives high praise from the students under his tutelage. He was promoted to lead UXO instructor in 2020.


Kids U

Walter Idol

Health/Safety Team Leader
UTK Center for Industrial Services


Walter Idol is the Program Manager for Health, Safety and Preparedness for the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services. He has been with CIS since 2005, and with the University since 1984. He holds a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and is a nationally registered paramedic. Mr. Idol has over four decades of emergency response experience, having served in a variety of educational and administrative roles throughout his career. He is an OSHA authorized outreach trainer for general industry, construction and disaster site workers, and instructs a variety of emergency service, emergency preparedness, and technical rescue programs. He has been published in numerous emergency service publications and training texts.


Kids U

Chuck Gluck

Safety Consultant
UTK Center for Industrial Services


Chuck is a 37-year veteran of the fire service, attaining the rank of Battalion Chief. He obtained a degree in public safety and has been a private business owner in California for 20 years. He was an instructor for the International Association for Firefighters (IAFF) for 20 years. He currently is an OSHA General Industry instructor. He was the training offcer for the San Jose Fire Department, an arson investigator, and a HAZMAT inspector.


Kids U

Amy Cox

Program Director


Amy Cox has been working at UT since November 2015. (Started out as a student worker.) She became a full-time employee in December 2019. 

Amy coordinates our UT-RELYANT UXO Tech 1 Training Program by assisting our partner in student recruitment and managing course schedules, instructors, and overseeing the administrative work involved in the program. She then goes on to support the incoming students with the enrollment process as well as supporting them throughout the duration of the program. 

 She graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Communication.


 







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