D. Galen DeHay

President, Tri-County Technical College

Galen DeHay assumed the duties of President of Tri-County Technical College on July 1, 2019.  He is the fourth president to lead the College, which has campuses in Anderson, Easley, Pendleton, and Westminster, South Carolina.

Prior to being named President, DeHay served as Senior vice president for the past four years.  During that time, he provided leadership for all academic, student support, enrollment, and workforce development functions of the College, including Academic Affairs, Student Support and Engagement, College Transitions, Marketing, Research and Evaluation, and Integrated Workforce Solutions.  

Under his direction, the College developed manufacturing and health care pathways (I-BEST programs) for high school and non-traditional student populations. He also led the team in the creation of the Michelin Manufacturing Scholars program in collaboration with Michelin North America. The program won the 2018 Innovation Program award from the Community Colleges of the Appalachia.  

DeHay co-developed and implemented a business and industry relations model that improved the College’s ability to meet emerging workforce needs and designed an integrated workforce solutions structure that integrates non–credit and credit programming to meet workforce needs.

In collaboration with College staff, DeHay created partnerships with Adult Education that resulted in the formation of a State model educational pathway between adult education and technical colleges. In February 2019, the College was honored at the South Carolina Association for Adult and Community Educators conference with the Outstanding Organization of the Year Award for its partnership with Adult Education in Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties to develop and support the I-BEST career pathways. 

DeHay is among 40 leaders nationwide selected by the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program to join the 2019-2020 class of the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence. This highly selective leadership program is aimed at preparing the next generation of community college presidents to transform institutions to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success, both in college and in the labor market.

DeHay previously served as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Assistant Vice President for Instruction and Institutional Effectiveness.

A former Biology faculty member and Science Department Head at Tri-County, Galen has more than 11 years of teaching experience in the College’s Arts and Sciences Division.

He 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.  In 2013 he was named Tri-County’s Administrator of the Year at the South Carolina Technical Education Association conference.

Currently he serves on the boards of Anderson County Economic Development Collaborative, Foothills CAN, Latino Community Outreach, Community Colleges of Appalachia, BASF Community Advisory Panel, and Ten at the Top.  He serves on the Commission on Higher Education Advisory Committee on Academic Programs and is a member of the American College Personnel Association and the Society for College and University Planning. 

Over the past several years, he has been a presenter at State and national conferences for the Association of Community College Trustee Leadership Congress, American Association of Community Colleges, Society of College and University Planning, State and national STEM conferences, and local business and industry forums.

Galen holds B.S. in Biological Sciences, an M.S. in Zoology, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, all from Clemson University.