In the heart of downtown Chattanooga sits EPB Quantum Center, the only place in the U.S. that brings commercial quantum computing and networking together in one facility. Inside that groundbreaking facility sits Patrick Swingle. 

Swingle, a 2018 Chattanooga State Community College graduate, is the manager of EPB’s quantum network, a position he assumed in January 2025. But his story extends back more than 20 years before the day he took a leadership role at EPB, Chattanooga’s fiber network and electricity provider. 

A fiber optics professional for many years, Swingle found himself with limited career options following a layoff. That professional stalemate led him to ChattSate, where he majored in Computer Information Technology with an emphasis in networking. 

From ChattState, Swingle went on to serve in many IT positions, including being hired as the first employee of quantum-focused startup Qubitekk, where he was a senior quantum engineer. 

“Qubitekk was a partner of EPB, and I was the first employee in Chattanooga for that organization,” he said. “Some could say the first full-time quantum employee in Chattanooga.” 

In 2025, he received a call asking him to lead quantum efforts at EPB. 

The Rise of Quantum in Chattanooga

Today, Swingle spends his days thinking about quantum infrastructure and implementation and Chattanooga’s role in the future of technology. 

“EPB wants to be that center of gravity to bring community, industry, and research together as the commercialization hub of quantum in the U.S.,” he said.  

What that means for Chattanooga, Swingle said, is a growing job market in the emerging quantum computing industry, something ChattState aims to address with an associate degree in quantum computing. While that degree program is currently in development, it will eventually prepare students to work as technicians in a field that was previously dominated by academics. 

“It takes someone with a Ph.D. to develop some of this technology; it takes an engineer to figure out how to deploy it,” he said. “Now, we are training technicians to understand today's challenges and use quantum technology to solve them. ChattState will help move that forward.” 

ChattState: Where the Quantum Workforce goes to College

While quantum computing careers may seem fantastical or out of reach, Swingle assures that a ChattState education will well prepare anyone looking to enter the industry. 

"Quantum is approachable,” he said. “The knowledge that can be gained through a program at ChattState— whether it is IT-focused, programming-focused, or security-focused—can be directly applied to quantum.” 

For Swingle, that is the point: The future of quantum computing will need more than the people who invent it. It will need the people who know how to make it work. And while that quantum computer may be downtown, the path to a career working with it starts at ChattState. 

Click here for From ChattState to Quantum Technology (Audio Described).