JT Jacobs is currently the Sr. Manager of Safety & Training with VMDAEC, overseeing five apprenticeship programs while continuing to instruct and support field training. He also serves as the RESAP (Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program) area administrator for the region's cooperatives, ensuring compliance and fostering a culture of safety and excellence in the utility industry.
After high school he pursued a business degree at Emory & Henry College and Radford University. However, his career aspirations shifted toward the trades, and the utility industry quickly captured his interest. He enrolled in and completed the Power Line Worker Training Program at Southside Virginia Community College, which laid the foundation for his career.
He began as an apprentice with Pike Electric in Northern Virginia before moving to Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative, where he completed his apprenticeship and gained valuable experience as a lineman. With a passion for sharing knowledge and promoting safety, he later joined the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives. For four years, he served as a safety and training instructor, traveling to cooperatives and municipalities to provide hands-on instruction and safety education.