Monroe Made: Eric Certain

Eric “Chief” Certain, a 1989 graduate of Vonore High School, grew up on Mount Pleasant before beginning a distinguished military career. He credits his Monroe County education, especially the small, family-like environment of Vonore High School, for giving him confidence, personalized support, and a strong foundation for life and service. Eric “Chief” Certain’s story begins on the quiet ridges of Mount Pleasant, on Citico Creek, where his childhood home had no electricity and no running water. Each morning, Maynard Tipton and his wife would drive to the mountaintop to pick him up in a van, transporting him down to meet the school bus parked along Smoky Branch Road. Those early years, rooted in humility, resilience, and the simple blessings of rural life, formed the foundation of a future marked by extraordinary accomplishment.

He credits his Monroe County education, especially the small, family-like environment of Vonore High School, for giving him confidence, personalized support, and a strong foundation for life and service.

Certain’s most influential mentor was Vice Principal and Vonore High math teacher Larry Russell, whose guidance helped him decide to join the U.S. Air Force. That decision opened the door to an exceptional career. “It was Larry’s guidance that steered me into the Air Force and away from the other branches.” 

In 2001, after being recognized for exemplary service, Certain was selected to join the elite White House Communications Agency, where he traveled worldwide in support of high-level government operations. His experiences included meeting Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and even spending a night in Buckingham Palace. One of his proudest achievements is receiving a rare STEP (Stripes for Exceptional Performers) Promotion, an honor he never encountered again in more than two decades of service.

Certain remains grateful for his humble beginnings and for Monroe County teachers who shaped his path. He proudly reflects on how those early lessons, along with hard work, resilience, and community, carried him from a mountaintop in East Tennessee to serving his country across the globe.

He is proud to be, and continues to embody what it means to be, Monroe Made.