Tri-County Technical College Fills Three Leadership Positions

PENDLETON, SC – Tri-County Technical College filled three key leadership positions by hiring Grayson Kelly as executive director of the Foundation, Dan Cooper as director of economic development and government relations and promoting Galen DeHay to senior vice president.

DeHay, who spent 12 years in the classroom as a biology instructor and science department head at Tri-County, has been interim provost for the past two years while serving as assistant vice president for instruction and institutional effectiveness. In 2012, he spearheaded the development of a new collaborative planning process that addresses strategic needs, including a market-driven prioritized program strategy, the complete redesign of the enrollment process, a talent management program and a project aimed at ensuring the College creates an environment that supports transformation in all students.

As senior vice president, he will provide leadership to the academic, student support, enrollment and economic development functions of the College. He will continue to report directly to President Ronnie L. Booth and will oversee the assistant vice president for instruction and institutional effectiveness (his former role), the assistant vice president for student support and engagement, the dean of college transitions, and the director of economic development and government relations.

Kelly, who joined the College October 13, will provide direct leadership to the Foundation, alumni and grants functions of the College. He reports directly to President Ronnie L. Booth. He has been director of development and communications for the Blue Ridge Council, Boys Scouts of America in Greenville since 2011. He served as the chief development officer directing all fundraising, communications, marketing, and public relations for the Blue Ridge Council, a non-profit corporation serving more than 10,000 youth and 4,000 adult volunteers throughout the eight-county region of the Upstate.

 

 

 

Cooper will work closely with local and state leaders to promote economic development in the three-county service area by teaming up with local economic development alliances, working with industrial prospects and serving as a legislative and governmental affairs liaison for the College. He also will provide direct leadership and oversight to the Corporate and Community Education Division in support of their efforts to meet the training needs of local businesses and industries. Throughout his career, Cooper worked closely with economic development organizations and government entities to support new jobs, industry and economic vitality in the region.

“We are fortunate to have Galen, Grayson and Dan bringing their vision, talent, commitment and tenacity to our leadership team,” said Dr. Booth. “Each of them will play a key role in meeting the present and future needs of Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties.”

“It is my privilege to assist the president and provide the leadership to see our role in the community grow so that we truly live up to our reputation as a college for the community,” said DeHay. “I am pleased and honored to serve Tri-County in this new capacity.”

“Over the last two years, my passion for student success has moved far beyond what happens in the classroom. In the face of external pressures and challenges to meet growing needs, an intentional focus on delivering a powerful educational experience will improve student outcomes without compromising access or quality. Designing this experience is our collective challenge, yet is quite possibly the most meaningful work an educational leader endeavors to pursue. These new areas of responsibility, in addition to academic and student support and engagement functions, hold great challenge and appeal to me.”

“I am excited to serve in this role at Tri-County because I understand firsthand the needs of our ever-growing community and how the College works to fill the gaps,” said Kelly, a native of Williamston. “Growing up here in Anderson County I saw the textile industry depart from the region, but I had the privilege to see new, innovative industries move into Anderson County, and Tri-County Technical College has played a vital role in recruiting them to the area and most importantly training our local workforce to provide skilled services. Tri-County doesn’t just provide two-year degrees, it provides life changing and career development opportunities so that we can continue to live in a thriving community. As a lifelong resident of Anderson County, I am honored to serve our community through this position and tell the story of Tri-County Technical College every single day.”

“I am delighted to return to the field of economic development. It was my first job when I was fresh out of college and it has always been a passion for me,” said Cooper. “I have a desire to improve my native Upstate by assisting in attracting and expanding business opportunities in our area. Joining the Tri-County team means that I have an active role in recruiting and retaining businesses to the tri-county area, as well as helping people who are searching for work to get the training and certifications that will make them competitive in today’s job market.”

From 1990 – 2011 Cooper represented the South Carolina House of Representatives District 10 in Anderson County. During his time he served as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, a position his House colleagues elected him to in 2005. In that role, Cooper managed the House version of the state budget and served as a member of the State Budget and Control Board where he was the only board member from South Carolina’s Upstate. Cooper is the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Furman University Wilkins Award. He was awarded the Order of the Palmetto in 2011.

As Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Cooper served on the Joint Bond Review Committee, as well as being a member of the State Agency Restructuring Study Committee. Prior to his service on the Ways and Means Committee, he served as a member of the House Medical, Military and Municipal Affairs Committee and the Education and Public Works Committees.
A Piedmont native, Cooper graduated from Wren High School in 1979 and from Clemson University with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics in 1984. Cooper has received honorary doctorate degrees from the Medical University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina University, The Citadel, Clemson University and Anderson University. Following graduation, he spent two years working for state and local governments. In 1987, Cooper embarked upon a career in insurance. He has attended Commercial Property & Casualty Insurance schools through both the Independent Agents of SC and AutoOwners Insurance Company and became a Certified Insurance Counselor in 2004. He was a partner of Capstone Insurance Services, LLC, in Greenville from1998 – 2012.

In addition to his civil service Cooper is very active in his community. He is on the board for SC’s Freedom Weekend Aloft and is a member of the Hunley Commission and the Small Business Association. He also serves on the First Citizens Bank Advisory Board, and Midlands Advisory Board and the Anderson University Board of Trustees. Previously, he was a board member for Boys Home of the South, Inc. and a member of the legislative advisory board of Palmetto Pride, South Carolina’s anti-litter group. Cooper serves as a Sunday school director at Mt. Airy Baptist Church in Piedmont, as a committeeman for Pack 13 Cub Scouts and president of the Wren High School Booster Club. In 2012 he served as the Economic Development Ambassador for Anderson County.

Cooper lives in Piedmont with his wife, Melissa “Missy” Shellenbarger Cooper, and their two children, Leanne Alexandra and Daniel T. Cooper, II.

After 12 years in the classroom, in 2012 DeHay accepted the position of director of planning and institutional effectiveness. His accomplishments include collaboratively developing and implementing the College’s first Academic Program Review process and defining the College’s first key performance indicators that are linked to the Strategic Plan, thereby defining a common data set for college-wide research and assessment. He also served as the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools liaison during a successful Fifth Year Report that resulted in maintaining full accreditation without recommendations.

As Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, DeHay collaboratively defined and provided vision for the College’s Transformative Student Experience with those efforts impacting improved persistence, retention, graduation and student success rates.

He worked with faculty to restructure programs using a stackable credentials model and developed processes to align the Corporate and Community Education Division and credit technical programs to provide clear pathways from non-credit to credit programs.

Over the years he has been a major player in the progress the College has made in becoming a “Learning College,” one that is focused on our students’ learning and success. He took a sabbatical from teaching in 2006 to focus on leading a team to develop the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for SACS reaffirmation. The result of the collaborative effort was the Learning Excellence Initiative (LEI).

As coordinator of science instruction, he collaborated with the Bridge to Clemson program and Clemson University’s Academic Success Center to pilot a Supplemental Instruction (SI) program at Tri-County designed to enhance student success in historically difficult first-year courses.
DeHay is the 2007 recipient of Tri-County’s Presidential Medallion for Instructional Excellence, the highest award presented to faculty at Tri-County. The same year he was named the S.C. Governor’s Professor of the Year for two-year institutions. He was named SCTEA TCTC Administrator of the Year in 2013.
Over the past several years, DeHay has been a presenter at state and national conferences, giving lectures on STEM Sustainability and College Planning Processes. Most recently, he spoke about “Revitalizing the Community College through Inclusive, Participatory Strategic Planning” at the Society of College and University Planning meeting. This month he addressed the Association of Community College Trustees Leadership Congress in a presentation titled “A Blueprint for Success: Reimagining How the Community College Delivers Value.

The Central resident holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences and an M.S. in Zoology from Clemson University. Prior to joining Tri-County’s faculty, he was a teaching assistant for anatomy and physiology at Clemson.

Kelly previously worked as a deputy finance director and field representative for Congressman J. Gresham Barrett (2009 – 2010). He has strong relationships throughout the Upstate and a keen understanding and appreciation for the role of the College in serving as a catalyst for economic development in Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties. Under his leadership, the organizations he served successfully secured several million dollars in donations.

He holds a B.S. in political science from Lander University. He is president-elect of the Easley Rotary Club, serves as a board member of the Anderson-Oconee-Pickens State Mental Health Board, as well as the Lander University Young Alumni Association. He is a pulse member of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals. He and his wife, Andrea (Finley), reside in Powdersville. They are members of Grace Church in Powdersville.