This presentation will provide a brief overview of the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative and efforts to improve mathematics pathways from high school through postsecondary education and into the workplace. The presentation will also discuss math grade level and college readiness data, describe discussions of the state leadership team thus far, and explore plans to future work. 

Presenter Bios

Dana Yow

Dana Yow is the Executive Director of the SC Education Oversight Committee. She served as Deputy Director and Director of Public Engagement and Communications for the EOC prior to leading the agency. Yow has 30 years of experience in communications and public relations. She has worked with the EOC since 2004 except for a 15-month stint working in corporate communications at a large hospital system in Columbia. She returned to the EOC staff in September 2012. 

She formerly worked as Director of Communications at the SC Medical Association where she also served as the Managing Editor of the prestigious Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association. Prior to that, she was Assistant Marketing Manager of the University of South Carolina Press, a university press publishing house. 

Yow was born and raised in Columbia and is a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina, where she has received both a B.A. in English and a Masters of Library and Information Science. 

She and her husband Max reside in Blythewood, SC. Her son Joshua is a senior at Clemson University studying industrial engineering. 

 

Trena Houp

Trena Houp is the Executive Director of Academic Program Planning and Decision Support at the University of South Carolina, where she leads strategic academic planning and oversees academic program and course approvals across the USC system. She works closely with university leadership and faculty governance to guide proposals through internal and external review bodies, including the Board of Trustees, the CHE, and SACSCOC, using data to support program quality, innovation, and alignment with state and workforce priorities.

Previously, Houp held several leadership roles at USC, including Director of Academic Programs and eLearning, Director of the Office of Distributed Learning, and Interim Director of the Office of Academic Programs. In these positions, she managed academic policy and compliance, supervised staff, strengthened cross-campus collaboration, and supported the growth of traditional and online academic programs.

Earlier in her career, Houp spent more than a decade with CHE evaluating academic program proposals and managing statewide initiatives, including the South Carolina Transfer and Articulation Center. She also served for over 12 years as a part-time instructor at the University of Florida, developing and teaching online writing courses and building expertise in instructional design and online education.

Higher education institutions are currently experiencing a significant divide in attitudes toward AI adoption, creating what can be described as a polarization problem. While one side is moving forward rapidly to integrate AI in a variety of manners, the other is immobilized by fear, focusing primarily on plagiarism detection, copyright concerns, and the concern of being replaced by technology. The session explores creation of an environment where AI enhances rather than disrupts academic excellence, allowing institutions to transform themselves while reshaping the future of learning.

Presenter Bio

Robert Placido, PhD, is the Chief Information Officer for the University of Maine System, where he oversees IT services across seven public universities. He holds a doctorate in higher education from the University of North Texas and an MBA in finance from Southern Methodist University.

With over 27 years of experience in higher education leadership, Dr. Placido has a strong background in both academic affairs and technology. Before joining the University of Maine System, he served as the Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. In this role, he guided academic policy, student preparation initiatives, and programs promoting workforce and economic development. Prior to that, he was the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for the University of Maine System, where he led statewide strategic planning and efforts to improve academic quality and curriculum management. He also served as the Associate Provost for Technology and CIO at Texas Woman's University for nearly two decades.

Dr. Placido advocates for using technology, including AI, to enhance education. He recently published "Apathy by Design: Sparking Deep Learning with AI," a book that explores using AI to improve student engagement and learning.