In support of CHE’s commitment to excellence in South Carolina higher education, the Office of Academic Affairs and Licensing is hosting an ongoing series of virtual Strategic Innovation in Academic Affairs Forums, bringing campus leaders together to share best practices, strengthen academic quality, and advance innovative approaches that support student success statewide. We hope you will join us at our next event on September 17, event registration is free and the link will be available from this page.
- Presenter Bio: Angela Willard
Angie Willard brings 26 years of educational experience, serving as a classroom teacher, special education teacher, and school administrator. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about supporting students and educators and helping them achieve success in a variety of educational settings.
For the past two years, Angie has served the Francis Marion University community and Pee Dee Region as the Director of the Center for Autism Studies. She established the Sensory Room Checkout program, providing FMU students and educators throughout the Pee Dee with access to sensory resources and support. She also collaborates with local school districts to promote best practices for supporting neurodivergent students and creating more inclusive learning environments.
Outside of her professional work, Angie enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and cheering on her favorite sports teams.
- Presenter Bio: Thomas Beeson
Tom Beeson directs and teaches in the Clemson University Spectrum Program and has over three decades of experience working with people with neurological differences, including direct support, program development, teaching, coaching, and consulting. He is the owner of Upstate Behavioral and Education Consulting, LLC.
Tom earned his bachelor's degree from Guilford College and graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Tennessee. He has additional graduate-level training from North Carolina State University, the University of North Texas, and Clemson University. His areas of professional interest include neurodiversity, habit change, motivational interviewing, and acceptance and commitment therapy.
Tom presents both regionally and nationally, including sessions at the College Autism Summit, universities in the Carolinas, and at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).
- Previous SIAA Forum Archived Materials (January 29, 2026)
SIAA Forum: January 2026
CHE’s Office of Academic Affairs and Licensing presented our first inaugural virtual Strategic Innovation in Academic Affairs Forum on January 29, 2026, from 11 a.m. - Noon featuring two sessions with three guest presenters. This event reflected the agency’s commitment to excellence in South Carolina higher education by bringing campus leaders together to share best practices, strengthen academic quality, and advance innovative approaches that support student success statewide.
Session Materials
This presentation provided 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.
Additional Materials: