Dana Bennett serves as a Technical Assistance Specialist with SCPI. Dana holds a M.Ed. and has 18 years of experience teaching in the public school system. She has also served as a family childcare teacher and an Inclusion Specialist. Dana was also awarded the 2019 Council for Exceptional Children Special Educator of the Year Award for the state of South Carolina.     

A career educator, Virginia K. Catoe most recently served as the Director for Elementary Education and Early Childhood (CERDEP) and Title I Director for the Kershaw County School District where she supported the instructional programs in our elementary schools (PK-5).  Prior to becoming the Director, she served in the role as the Director of Early Learning and Literacy (OELL) at the South Carolina State Department of Education.  Mrs. Catoe taught high school English before becoming an administrator at Leslie M. Stover School. For 16 years, she served as the principal of Doby's Mill Elementary School in Kershaw County.  She holds elementary, middle, and secondary certifications and has worked in these areas over her 30+ year career. In 2010, she was named the Kershaw County Principal of the Year.

She has received training through the South Carolina State Department of Education serving as a Mentor for Induction Principals in our state. She is a graduate and has served as an alumni representative on the South Carolina Education Policy Fellowship (SC-EPFP) Board of Advisors and a current member and past Elementary Division president of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA). In 2007, she was named the Assistant Principal of the Year by SCASA. She is currently a member of the Kershaw County First Steps Board of Directors, SCASCD Board of Directors and the South Carolina Literacy Leaders. She currently works with APEC Fellows with Columbia College as a college supervisor and serves on the South Carolina State Board Of Education for the 5th Circuit (Kershaw and Richland counties.)

Mrs. Catoe is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where she received her Bachelors, Masters, and Education Specialist degrees. She lives in Kershaw County with her husband, Marcos, a 1982 graduate of Lugoff-Elgin High School, and her two sons, Gunnar, a 2020 graduate from the University of South Carolina and a member of the National Guard; Zane, senior at the University of South Carolina; and Zeus, their Yorkie. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with local organizations, exercising, cooking, reading, and spending time with her family and friends cheering on her Gamecocks!

Ginger Daniel has served South Carolina schools for over 20 years.  After working in the private sector, she returned to the College of Charleston to earn her master’s degree in teaching.  She worked as a classroom teacher for 19 years serving students with various disabilities including specific learning disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, autism, emotional disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and other health impairments.  During this time, she earned her Ed.S.  in Instructional Technology from Coastal Carolina University.  Ms. Daniel joined the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) as a grant project coordinator for the South Carolina Pathways Project (SCPP).  She currently serves as the Indicator Specialist within the Office of Special Education Services (OSES).   

Melissa Griffin serves as the Technical Assistance Coordinator with SCPI. Melissa has over 18 years of experience in the field of early intervention, including leadership and program development. Melissa began her career as an Early Intervention Specialist and progressed into the role of Assistant Director of Early Intervention. Prior to joining SCPI, Melissa served as the Director of Medical Rehabilitation for a pediatric therapy program serving children enrolled in Part C of IDEA and SC Medicaid. 

Nichole Hudgens is a Pyramid Model Program Implementation Coach with the Pyramid PIECES team, supporting school districts with program-wide implementation. Prior to joining Pyramid PIECES, Nichole served as an Inclusion Specialist with the SC Inclusion Collaborative, and as Quality Coach with the South Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral Network for four years. Nichole earned a BA in Early Childhood Education from Clemson University and received her master’s degree in Education from Ashford University. Nichole also taught pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and upper elementary school. Nichole holds a certification as a Certified Trainer and Technical Assistance Provider with the SCEndeavors.

Sloan Lincks has worked in secondary classrooms teaching English, Social Studies, and special education (inclusion, resource, and self-contained classes). She has a master’s degree special education focused on students with emotional and behavioral disturbances and earned a PhD in curriculum and instruction working with transition aged youth with emotional and behavioral disturbances and emerging mental health concerns. Since then, she completed post-doctoral research studies and worked as a secondary special education teacher. Currently, Sloan is a program coordinator at the Transition Alliance of South Carolina and continues to focus on school completion and post-school outcomes of transition age youth.

Sarah Miller, M.Ed., has experience coaching and leading trainings at the district level and working alongside principals and assistant superintendents to provide support systems to teachers. She comes to this position with middle grades classroom teaching experience. Her passion is for caring for the whole child through preventative practices, relationship building, and creating a sense of belonging within the school.

Joanne Osterland is a Pyramid Model Program Implementation Coach, supporting child care centers with program-wide implementation. Joanne earned a BA in Early Childhood Education from Kent State University and a Master of Science in Special Education from Drake University. She has served as a teacher in toddler, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten classrooms, and as a director of programs serving infant through school-age children. Joanne is a Certified Trainer and Technical Assistance Provider with SC Endeavors. She is dedicated to helping teachers experience joy in their work as they implement best practices to support children's growth in social and emotional development.

 Alissa Rausch, EdD, is Associate Research Faculty and Associate Director in the Marsico Institute for Early Learning at the University of Denver. Her work in higher education developed from fifteen years of practice as an early childhood educator working in inclusive preschool classrooms serving young children and their families. Alissa has had the privilege of partnering with leaders, providers, families, and children in their homes and in community settings. Currently, she is a technical assistant specialist on the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA). Her work includes supporting leaders and providers to build their capacity for high-quality early care and learning, and for the inclusion of children diagnosed with disabilities in practice, sustainable systems, and grassroots advocacy. Previously, she has worked as a faculty member in early childhood education and early childhood special education undergraduate and graduate personnel preparation. 

Dr. Susan Thomas retired from the South Carolina public school system having served eighteen years as a general and special education teacher, nine years as a director of special education for two school districts, and three years at the South Carolina Department of Education serving as the project director for the State Improvement Grant.  Dr. Thomas has international experience serving as the Head of Teaching and Learning at Awsaj Academy in Doha, Qatar, and providing training and coaching for the National Institute of Direct Instruction in northern Australia.  She is currently an educational consultant providing consultation to districts in the areas of high-leverage instructional practices, behavior support, and special education. She served on the board of the South Carolina Council for Exceptional Children for thirteen years as treasurer, vice president, president, past president, and parliamentarian. Nationally, she has served on the membership committee for the Council for Exceptional Children Division of Learning Disabilities and is currently on the research committee for the Council of Administrators of Special Education. She was a charter member of the South Carolina Association for Positive Behavior Support Network serving as president. She is currently on the advisory board for the Behavior Alliance of South Carolina. Dr.  Thomas was a peer reviewer for Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. She was a contributing author in the Handbook of Leadership and Administration for Special Education.