In his nearly 24 years at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia, Robert H. Sandel’s visionary leadership has significantly transformed the college. His unwavering commitment to expanding programs and investing in cutting-edge learning facilities will leave an indelible mark on the Roanoke region, establishing a legacy that will enrich the lives of students and the community for generations.

Upon his arrival in 2001, Sandel had a vision for a first-class campus, appealing to students and functional for academic programs. Sandel has overseen more than $138 million in new building construction and renovations. This investment has made positive impacts on the local economy, quality of student education and preparation of the region’s workforce.

Amid the College’s markers of success, Sandel vocally advocates for keeping the focus on students. Currently, Virginia Western’s Foundation is the number one community college foundation in Virginia in the value of scholarship support to students. Since its inception in 2008, the Community College Access Program, known widely as CCAP [pronounced See-Cap], has provided approximately $11.8 million in tuition assistance. That investment has helped alleviate debt for 4,496 students. In addition, CCAP recipients have volunteered 37,000 hours of community service. 

Sandel is the most tenured president in the Virginia Community College System. Prior to that, Sandel served more than 20 years in the South Carolina Technical College System.

Sandel, a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, was named Roanoke City Citizen of the Year in 2013. He has served on many local and state boards, including chairperson and presidential positions.

In 2024, Sandel was named to the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council Hall of Fame; awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Roanoke College; honored by Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia as the 2024 Laureate in the Southwest Virginia Business Hall of Fame; named Outstanding Fundraising Executive by Virginia’s Blue Ridge Chapter of Association of Fundraising Professionals; and awarded the Virginia Community College System’s Expanding Opportunities Award to recognize his extraordinary contributions to the field of workforce development. In 2025, Sandel was presented with the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sandel earned his bachelor’s degree from The Citadel, master’s degree from South Carolina State University and doctorate from the University of South Carolina. Sandel’s wife, Jane, is a retired educator. They have four children, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Retiring mid-summer, Sandel spent more than 50 years in community college education, leading with humility, empathy and vision, and often reminding those around him, “When everyone comes together and nobody cares who gets the credit, that’s when great things can happen.”

Tiffany Livingston Palmatier was raised in a small town in rural South Carolina. Her mission is to illuminate the brilliant experiences that organically happen when thoughtfully working alongside students and their families.

She is currently a National Board Certified kindergarten and first grade teacher in Columbia, in Richland School District Two with 15 years of experience working in private and public magnet school programs. Palmatier is a South Carolina Induction Teacher Mentor as well as Columbia College Alternative Pathways to Education and University of South Carolina College of Education Mentor teacher.

Palmatier holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Teaching and Learning at the University of South Carolina. Among her accolades are the Bryant A. and Jaqueline F. Meeks Scholarship, Outstanding Senior Award and Early Childhood Achievement Award.

Palmatier conducts presentations at local, state and national conferences. She makes appearances on podcasts, national blogs, and is a contributing author for national literacy journals and professional books. 

When away from the classroom, Palmatier enjoys spending time with her husband and children in the mountains, coaching youth sports and serving as an educational leader.

Brittany Caniglia is a dedicated educator and lifelong learner with a passion for creating engaging and inclusive learning environments where students can thrive. Brittany has worked with students for more than 10 years, beginning her career as a preschool teacher and behavior therapist, working to support young learners’ developmental and emotional needs, before transitioning to the classroom. Her journey into public school teaching was made possible through the CarolinaCAP program, which provided the opportunity to fulfill her dream of becoming a classroom teacher while leveraging her previous experience working with children.

Brittany currently teaches sixth grade at Aiken Intermediate School. She began her teaching career in public education in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. She taught her first year virtually at Williston-Elko Middle School before transitioning to traditional in-person instruction. This experience allowed her to incorporate technology and digital tools with innovative teaching strategies for engaging students virtually. These skills have transitioned into the in-person classroom where Brittany has a passion for building relationships with students and enhancing instruction with technology. 

Brittany has designed professional development sessions to support colleagues with virtual instruction, and at the conclusion of her first year of teaching, she was voted Rookie Teacher of the Year by her colleagues. During the 2022-2023 school year, she also completed the IMPACT Program through Voorhees University to further enhance her teaching practice. Currently, Brittany also serves as an Ambassador for the CarolinaCAP program, helping to support other potential candidates find their way into the world of public school teaching.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Development and Family Studies from the University of Washington and recently earned a Master’s of Education in Educational Technology with a focus in Digital Teaching and Learning from the American College of Education. Brittany is married to her husband, Josh, and they have two sons - Sebastian and Theo. Outside of the classroom, Brittany enjoys baking, yoga, and reading, as well as spending time with her family.

Tracie Anderson Swilley, Ed.D. has more than a decade of success as the principal of Fairfield Central High School. She is a transformational leader who has positively shifted the lives of her faculty and staff and, ultimately, the educational system in Fairfield County Schools and beyond. As a transformational leader, Swilley understands the law of replication and has many assistant principals who were promoted to principal under her guidance. Additionally, she has promoted teachers within her building to the role of assistant principal and has mentored principals throughout the state. She embodies leading by example to ensure that leaders beget leaders.

Swilley, most recently named the 2025 National Principal of the Year by NASSP, has received many accolades for her astounding leadership, including 2025 South Carolina Association of Educational Office Professionals (SCAEOP) Administrator of the Year, 2024 South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) Secondary Principal of the Year, Proclamations from Fairfield County & the Town of Winnsboro, the SCAAA 2A Principal of the Year in 2023, Unity in the Community School Administrator Award in 2023, Fairfield County Coroner Outstanding Service Award in 2021 and Believers and Achievers Award in 2015.  She is committed to advancing educational and social outcomes for those around her and is a longtime member of several professional organizations such as NASSP, SCEA, SCASA, SCAAA and ASCD. She currently serves as SCAAA 2A President, SCASA Secondary Principal Executive Committee District 2 Representative, and is a member of the Midlands Regional Educational Center Advisory Board.  She is also an active member of the Richland County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 

Swilley knows that everyone can achieve given the proper assistance and support and uses data to guide her faculty and staff in best practices to improve student outcomes. She upholds the Fairfield Central motto of Griffins Soaring for Greatness: Griffins Believe, Griffins Achieve and Griffins Succeed. The mission that she carries out is modeling how to provide every student with quality teaching and learning experiences every day. 

Swilley has two children, Jalen and Peyton, who she adores dearly. 

Baron R. Davis, Ph.D., is a transformative educational leader, celebrated humanitarian and innovative strategist with nearly three decades of experience driving meaningful change in K-12 education and beyond. A tireless advocate for equity, inclusion and community empowerment, Davis has dedicated his career to creating ecosystems where all individuals can thrive. His dynamic leadership blends bold vision with strategic execution, making him a sought-after expert in crisis management, organizational agility and inclusive innovation.

As Superintendent of Richland School District Two, Davis oversaw a district serving over 28,000 students and 3,800 staff members, managing a $333 million budget. His tenure was marked by groundbreaking achievements, including leading South Carolina’s largest school bond referendum securing $468 million for infrastructure, safety and educational advancements. 

Davis is a trusted advisor at Digital Promise, where he champions cutting-edge solutions to address challenges like student absenteeism and rural economic mobility through co-designed, inclusive innovation practices. He also leads The Noegenesis Group, LLC, a pioneering think tank helping educational leaders and organizations implement outcome-driven strategies for sustainable success.

Davis has been widely recognized for his leadership, earning prestigious honors such as the National School Public Relations Association’s Bob Grossman Leadership Award, Education Week’s “Leader to Learn From” and the AASA Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award. His work has also been featured nationally, placing him at the forefront of educational equity and transformation conversations. He has served on numerous boards and advisory councils for leading organizations.

With multiple advanced degrees from the University of South Carolina, Davis is both a scholar and a practitioner. He brings a rare academic rigor and real-world experience to his leadership. A proud native of Columbia, he graduated from the historical C.A. Johnson High School (class of 1990). He and his wife, Pamela Davis, are the proud parents of three amazingly accomplished and beautiful daughters. They are active members of the Brookland Baptist Church and several civic and philanthropic organizations.

Inez Tenenbaum practices law at Wyche, P.A. in Greenville, South Carolina, in the area of consumer product safety and advises clients on matters involving the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Tenenbaum also provides consulting services on education policy for national and state organizations whose missions are to provide a quality education for all children.

Tenenbaum was confirmed Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2009. During her tenure, she fulfilled a key promise to the Congress and consumers by working to complete all the major safety rules required by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). As Chairman, the CPSC opened its first overseas office, located at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and opened the new National Product Testing and Evaluation Center, testing products for defects and establishing test methods to determine compliance with safety standards. 

Tenenbaum was elected as South Carolina’s State Superintendent of Education in 1999 and again in 2002. She focused her administration on six key initiatives to reform education in South Carolina: raising the academic bar and embracing accountability for student academic progress, improving teacher quality, providing early childhood education for all children, supporting strong and effective school leadership, promoting safe and healthy schools and increasing parent and community involvement.

Tenenbaum led the effort and the South Carolina General Assembly approved $750 million in state bonds for K-12 school construction and renovation. Matched with local districts also leveraging local bonds, the total amount was $1.75 billion for school construction during her tenure. More than 140 new schools were built during her tenure, using a combination of state and local voter-approved bonds.

During her tenure as State Superintendent, student achievement in South Carolina improved at the fastest rate in the nation, with scores increasing on every state, national and international tests administered. At the end of Tenenbaum’s tenure, the prestigious journal Education Week ranked South Carolina number one in the country for the quality of its academic standards, assessment and accountability system.

Tenenbaum received her B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Georgia and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina. She is the recipient of multiple honorary degrees and numerous awards from national, state and community organizations for her advocacy for youth, protecting children from dangerous products, education leadership, women’s rights and life time achievement. She was also presented the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian award, following her tenure as State Superintendent of Education.

She and her husband, Samuel Tenenbaum, live at Caesar’s Head, South Carolina.

Gabrielle White McCoy, known as Briel, is a dedicated and passionate educator who currently serves as a kindergarten teacher at Lamar-Spaulding Elementary School in Darlington County. With a heart for early childhood education, McCoy has worked tirelessly to create an environment where young learners thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

McCoy’s career has been marked by a commitment to excellence, and her impactful contributions have earned her several accolades. In the 2023-2024 school year, she was honored as the Darlington County School District Teacher of the Year. As a South Carolina Mentor Teacher since 2021, McCoy has played a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of educators. She is also a graduate of the Carolina TIP program, where she honed her leadership skills from 2017-2020, and has served as a Team Leader from 2021 to 2023 for her kindergarten team. Additionally, McCoy is the Teacher Forum Coordinator for the district, where she continues to advocate for teachers and their professional growth.

Her work extends beyond the classroom, as McCoy serves as a Coaching Teacher for both FMU and USC, providing guidance and mentorship to future educators. As the First Steps SC Conference Keynote Speaker in 2024, she shared her expertise on early childhood education, further solidifying her role as a thought leader in the field. McCoy has also been deeply involved in her community, serving as a Countdown to Kindergarten Program Teacher since 2017 and holding leadership roles such as Palmetto State Literacy Association PeeDee Chapter Secretary (2022-2024) and LSE Kindness Committee Coordinator (2021-present)

A proud graduate of the University of South Carolina with a degree in Early Childhood Education, Briel also holds a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University. McCoy’s commitment to excellence was recognized with the Early Childhood Outstanding Senior Award and Graduation with Leadership Distinction.

Originally from Hartsville, SC, McCoy’s teaching journey has taken her to multiple districts, including Irmo Elementary School in the Lexington-Richland Five School District, where she taught 2nd grade, 4K, and Kindergarten from 2017 to 2021. McCoy recently got married in October 2023 and celebrated the arrival of her first son, Waylon, in August 2024.

All her academic and leadership initiatives have been motivated by her deep-seated desire to generate excitement toward education in young learners which sets the stage for their academic future. Her passion for facilitating learning started at an early age as she asked for an overhead projector at age nine to teach her baby dolls math. The desire to cultivate an inclusive, safe and fun classroom environment that is conducive to exploration and deep learning continues to energize her to do and be what her students need daily. As an educator, mentor and leader, McCoy continues to make a lasting impact on her students, colleagues and the broader education community.