Governor’s School announces new interim president
New Interim President Daniel S. Dorsel. FILE PHOTO
The Hartsville-based South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics (GSSM) Board of Trustees has appointed Daniel S. Dorsel as interim president, effective Jan. 1, 2021. Dorsel will also continue to serve as Senior Vice President for Residential. Dorsel has been part of the GSSM administration since 2012. He earned his Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Notre Dame, a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina. As an undergraduate, he studied at the University of Kent, England, for one year. He was also in the inaugural class of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics. Dorsel started his career as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers before entering education. During his 21 years in education and prior to returning to GSSM, he served as a high school principal, director of advancement, classroom teacher, and coach. Dorsel serves on the Board of Directors for the National Consortium for Specialized STEM Schools (NCSSS). “I am looking forward to serving as the interim president for the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics,” Dorsel said. “We have an incredibly talented team of faculty and staff that are dedicated to providing educational opportunities that consistently move our students and state forward in STEM education. GSSM had a tremendous positive impact on me as a student. I hope to provide a similar impact during my time as interim president.” The GSSM Board of Trustees made this decision at the most recent board meeting Nov. 19. Ershela Sims, who has been serving as GSSM’s interim president and Senior Vice President for Virtual and Outreach since July 2019, accepted a position in September as Executive Director of the Women in Engineering Proactive Network Inc. (WEPAN) and will conclude her tenure with GSSM at the end of December. WEPAN is the leading champion in North America for leveraging research and best practices to propel women’s inclusion in the field of engineering. Randall (Randy) M. La Cross has been named interim senior vice president for Virtual and Outreach. La Cross has been serving as vice president for Outreach and Global Initiatives since 2019. He is responsible for leading a team of STEM educators in the development of educational experiences for the state’s students and teachers and collaborating with the GSSM leadership team, faculty, staff and students to develop international initiatives and partnerships. Prior to summer 2019, La Cross served the as the VP for Outreach and Research, a role he assumed in 2005. In this role, he provided the oversight for the school’s Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI) and collaborated with a team to develop GSSM’s first international student research experience, which led to research opportunities in Germany, South Korea and China. La Cross joined GSSM in 1998 as a curriculum development specialist, and in 2000, became a curriculum coordinator in the school’s Outreach Center. During his 30-plus years as a science educator in South Carolina, La Cross has had the opportunity to develop curricula, create science education outreach programs, and serve on numerous state and national committees. He has also served as a science teacher consultant, conducted presentations at state and national science conferences, and taught at various educational levels. He has a passion for developing STEM educational experiences that are academically challenging, relevant and interactive.
