ACHE South Region

"Workforce Development and Community Partnership: Fostering Engaged Continuing Higher Education In and Out of the Classroom"

Join us for the 2025 ACHE South Annual Conference
in the beautiful Chattanooga| March 17-19, 2025

Sponsored By

2025 Conference Rates

Keynote Speakers

Randy Boyd

Randy Boyd serves as president of the University of Tennessee System, which includes campuses in Chattanooga, Pulaski and Martin; the Health Science Center in Memphis; and the Institute of Public Service. Additionally, it includes the flagship campus in Knoxville, which is also comprised of the Space Institute in Tullahoma and the statewide Institute of Agriculture. The UT System also manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership, where Boyd serves as co-chairman. 

In 2007, Boyd began a journey transitioning from entrepreneur and businessman to full-time public servant. Boyd is a founder and chairman of Achieves, a nonprofit which has helped send more than 133,000 students to community college free of tuition and fees. This success led then-Governor Bill Haslam to invite him to serve as Special Advisor on Higher Education in 2013. During his tenure, he is credited with being the architect of the Drive to 55 and the Tennessee Promise. In 2015, Gov. Haslam recruited him back to serve as Commissioner of Economic and Community Development. During his tenure, his team recruited 52,000 new jobs and $9 billion in new investment for the state. He also founded and co-chaired the governor’s Rural Task Force and chaired the Governor’s Workforce Sub-Cabinet.

Boyd is a first-generation college graduate, earning a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis on industrial management from UT Knoxville. He also earned a master’s degree in liberal studies with a focus on foreign policy from the University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Michael Torrence

Acknowledged as a strategist, connector, visionary, influencer, and implementer, Dr. Michael Torrence, a front-runner in higher education across Tennessee and the nation, is the seventh seated President of Motlow State Community College. Since arriving in May 2018, Dr. Torrence has transformed Motlow State into an award-winning, cutting-edge, innovative college year after year. He has masterfully blended the rural with the urban all the while touching students and transforming communities one at a time. His leadership and vision have placed the College on platforms and before audiences that were unknown to Motlow before his arrival.

Dr. Torrence is a technology strategist, having worked in higher education for more than 30 years. He deliberately creates space so everyone may have a voice and a seat at the table. He practices inclusive excellence and holistic development. His areas of expertise include Community and Economic Development, Research, Adult Education, Student Success, Academic Affairs, Professional Development, Distance Learning, and Success and Innovation. Additional interests are Applied Learning with Open Education Resources (OER), Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Automation, Robotics, Mechatronics, and Gamification as platforms for education, learning, and training business and industry to increase efficiency and scalability. Dr. Torrence is also an entrepreneurial business development professional.

Dr. Torrence serves on local, state, national, and international boards that influence and shape the future of higher education. He is the recipient of many awards crossing several categories. Recently, he was named a Distinguished Alumni by South Dakota State University, where he earned both the undergraduate and graduate degrees. He  served on the American Association of Community Colleges Board and was appointed to the Community Colleges of Appalachian Board of Directors. He is a coveted Maxine Smith Fellow and is only one of two Fellows who serve as a Community College President in the Tennessee Board of Regents--the College System of Tennessee, the system that governs community and technical colleges. He is a premier speaker and lecturer. Dr. Torrence is an Air Force veteran. He earned a Ph.D. in Exceptional Learning (Literacy) from Tennessee Technological University. 

Dr. Hilary J. Miller

Dr. Hilary Miller attended Texas Christian University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Vanderbilt University. She is employed at MTSU as the Director of the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center (Daniels Center). 

Dr. Miller’s work focuses on the concept of transition, primarily that of military-connected and the move from service to college. She is a member of MTSU’s Veterans Memorial Committee and the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. Additionally, she was an advisor to the Governor’s Veteran Education Taskforce, was on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s Veterans Prior Learning Assessment Taskforce, and is the primary investigator (PI) on numerous Tennessee Higher Education Commissions’ Veterans Reconnect Grants. She speaks regularly across Tennessee on the topic of serving military-connected students and families.

Dr. Miller is a past recipient of MTSU’s Administrative Public Service Award for her work in bringing attention to the upgrade and safety needs of the Marine standard issue combat helmet, the Trailblazer Award which in 2016 recognized women in public service and government, and the Department of the Army’s Outstanding Public Service Award (2016). From 2017-2018, Dr. Miller was selected to participate in the Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute, which examined issues related to postsecondary access and completion. She teaches in MTSU’s graduate education program and the accelerated undergraduate leadership program. 

Dr. Miller is a ruck marcher. She and her husband Lt. Col. (Ret) Joel Miller and an MTSU Blue Raider Battalion ruck team competed seven times in the Mountain Man Memorial Marches. In 2016, 2017, and 2023 she was successful in putting up the overall fastest time for the Individual Civilian Light Full Marathon Category.

Hotel Information

• Chattanooga Marriott Downtown

  • $149/night plus tax and fees
  • Reservations can also be made by calling the Hotel directly at (423)719-8978 and reference M-S8LLIZE and Association for Continuing Higher Education.
  • Booking deadline is February 16, 2025

Book Here!

• The ACHE South Region includes members in the following locations:

Region Information

Bylaws and Constitution              View South Region Member Directory