A seasoned communications professional with over 25 years of experience, Dean Hybl has made significant strides in sports, community, and private sector communications, as well as event organization and engagement. Currently serving as the Executive Director of Ten at the Top (TATT), a regional collaboration organization in South Carolina’s Upstate, Dean’s leadership has been instrumental in fostering connections and enhancing regional capacity.

Dean’s career in communications began during his time as a Communications Major at James Madison University, where he honed his skills working in the college Sports Information Office and writing for the school newspaper, The Breeze. These early experiences solidified his passion for journalism and sports. Internships with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL and the Richmond Braves (the triple-A affiliate for the Atlanta Braves) provided a launchpad for his career.

His first full-time role was as the Sports Information Director at Hampden-Sydney College, where he spent six years before moving on to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. At Rollins, Dean served as the Sports Information Director and Assistant Athletic Director for nearly nine years. During this time, he coordinated numerous events and managed communications, establishing a strong foundation in athletic administration.

The birth of his daughter, Bethany, in 2004 marked a turning point for Dean. Seeking a role that would leverage his communication expertise while offering a more balanced lifestyle, he joined the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce. There, he worked as a Program Manager for myregion.org, a regional initiative aimed at fostering collaboration among community and business leaders. This experience underscored the transformative power of regional cooperation and set the stage for his future endeavors.

In 2010, Dean embraced the opportunity to become the founding Executive Director of Ten at the Top. This role allowed him to synthesize his diverse skills and experiences to build and implement a robust framework for a new organization. Under his leadership, TATT has developed a strong track record for promoting regional collaboration, earning recognition from prestigious bodies such as the Alliance for Regional Stewardship, SCDHEC Bureau of Air Quality, and the South Carolina Chapter of the American Planner’s Association.

Dean’s contributions to regional collaboration have not gone unnoticed. He is a past recipient of the Welling Award for Regional Collaboration and Upstate Forever’s Land Planning & Policy Champion Award. His involvement extends beyond TATT, as he has served on the boards of Community Works Carolina and the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce, and co-founded Greenville CAN (Collaborative Action Network).

Originally from Keysville, Virginia, Dean graduated from James Madison University. He now resides in Greer, South Carolina and was married to his wife Suzy for nearly 27 years before her death in May 2023 following a brief illness. Their two children, Bethany and Nate, are both currently attending college. Dean’s journey from sports information to regional collaboration highlights his adaptability, leadership, and commitment to making a positive impact on the communities he serves.

Fostering Regional Collaboration and Success

The name Ten at the Top represents the ten counties in the northwest corner of South Carolina. This region is seen as the “top” not only geographically but also in terms of success. The idea for Ten at the Top emerged in the early 2000s when leaders in the Upstate region recognized rapid growth and significant fragmentation in local governments and business sectors. The founders envisioned a regional organization that would create connections across communities and sectors, fostering opportunities for collaboration and promoting the mindset that the success of one part of the region is a success for the entire region.

There were similar organizations in other parts of the country, such as myregion.org in Central Florida, but Ten at the Top was intended to be a convener rather than a “doer” organization. This required considerable explanation to help people understand what Ten at the Top was and why they should be part of it. Unlike myregion.org, which was an initiative of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, Ten at the Top is a stand-alone non-profit. This independence, while presenting financial stability challenges over the past 15 years, has also allowed Ten at the Top to be very nimble and quickly engage in new opportunities that arise, building partnerships around emerging crises or opportunities.

Evolving Role at TATT

As can be expected over 15 years, Dean’s primary daily duties and focus have changed over time. Initially, Dean had to create interest, excitement, and organizational mission clarity for TATT. This involved a lot of listening and asking people across the Upstate what mattered most to them as the region and its future growth were considered. Since Dean was not originally from the area, it required significant effort to build relationships and trust. However, this outsider status meant Dean was not labeled as being from any specific community or sector based on past history, allowing for a broader connection with many different people and organizations throughout the region.

As time has gone by and TATT has become more established, Dean has shifted to a role focused on managing the organization and collaborating with staff, partners, and the board to identify and advance issues that can enhance the region’s collective capacity, economic vitality, and quality of life. Currently, most of the focus areas relate to barriers to employment and long-term growth in the region. The primary areas of focus now include mobility and transportation (through the Upstate Mobility Alliance), supporting organizations that aid small businesses and entrepreneurs (Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem), and creating a regional network of behavioral and mental health professionals through the Resilient Upstate Behavioral Health Collaborative.

Additionally, TATT has been actively engaged in recent years with the needs of the growing senior population, community safety, education, and land use/utilities. They are just beginning to meet with regional partners to address the increasing issue of homelessness across the Upstate.

From Athletics to Community Development

Dean transitioned from college athletics to the Orlando Regional Chamber and their myregion.org effort, where he worked for three years. After that, he took a brief career detour into the private public relations world for a year with Curley and Pynn. Dean then returned to myregion.org for nearly a year before taking the job with TATT and moving to South Carolina. The shift from college athletics to community development was not as drastic as it might seem since his background was in communications and event coordination. At every turn of his career, Dean found that his skills as a writer and journalist were very beneficial. He was able to effectively tell the story of his work both through written words and verbal presentations.

Strategic Event Coordination

The first things to get clarity on when coordinating an event are the goal and the audience. When Dean worked in college athletics, these elements were quite clear. However, after moving to community development and the non-profit world, identifying the goal and audience is not always as straightforward. At TATT, there is a wide variety of events and meetings, each with specific purposes. Regardless of the event’s size, the aim is to provide opportunities for engagement among attendees, as every TATT event and activity contributes to the overall mission of building partnerships and relationships across the region.

Many people have been attending TATT events for 15 years, but each meeting or event also welcomes individuals experiencing TATT for the first time. It is important that everyone feels welcome and that their voices and experiences are valued.

Overcoming Challenges and Crafting a Clear Message

The biggest communications challenge that Dean has faced is succinctly articulating what Ten at the Top (TATT) is and how it provides value within the Upstate region. This was especially true in the early days when the organizational scope and focus areas were still being formulated. At the same time, it was necessary to explain how TATT differed from more traditional business and community organizations like chambers of commerce or economic development entities.

Fortunately, due to Dean’s experience with myregion.org, he was able to use similar language to explain TATT’s mission and role until there was greater clarity. In 2012, TATT rolled out a very succinct tagline, “Ten Counties. One Upstate. Stronger Together,” which has served the organization very well. In fact, since “Stronger Together” has become an internationally recognized phrase, Dean wishes they had trademarked it a dozen years ago.

In addition to the tagline, TATT has worked hard to educate its partners and board members about its mission and “elevator speech.” As a result, most people associated with TATT today can quickly articulate its mission, some of the successes across the Upstate, and how TATT differs from other organizations in the region.

Dual Career Path and Advice for Young Professionals

Dean is very fortunate to have had two distinct careers—15+ years in athletic administration and 20 years in community development. Both careers have allowed him to use and expand his communications skills, demonstrating that these skills are highly transferable across different sectors.

Dean suggests to those early in their professional careers to seek opportunities within their areas of passion. He always loved sports and was very happy to spend the first half of his career working directly in that field. When his personal priorities changed, he was fortunate to find a second act that gave him the chance to have a more direct impact on the future of the communities in which he lives.

Leadership Beyond Titles

Dean considers being a leader different from being “the boss.” Becoming a boss is not necessarily hard, as experience and past success can lead to opportunities to manage people and lead organizations. However, Dean believes that being a true leader goes beyond titles and personal accomplishments. Great leaders make those around them better and focus on what is needed to accomplish the task at hand.

Sometimes being a leader means taking charge and being heavily responsible for the success of an effort. Other times, it means taking a supporting role and ensuring that team members have what they need to succeed. True leaders are sought out to help address issues and create success, regardless of their position or title.

In the early years of TATT, it was important for Dean to be at the forefront and to grow the profile of both himself and the organization. Now, after 15 years and looking ahead to what is probably another 8-10 years before transitioning towards retirement, his primary role is to ensure the long-term viability and impact of the organization.

TATT’s Mission and Impact

Dean shares that the work of TATT is to bring stakeholders together to build the collective capacity of the region around specific issues or opportunities. He measures success for himself and the organization based on the continued interest of stakeholders across the region to participate in their efforts and to seek out TATT’s involvement as a neutral convener.

Trust is a crucial element in this process. If Dean were not trusted as a leader and TATT not trusted as a true partner and connector, key stakeholders would not entrust their time or invest their resources in TATT’s efforts.

However, while TATT’s greatest achievement has been to better connect the Upstate, they have been a leading part of a number of very tangible efforts that have made a huge impact on the lives of Upstate residents. These include initiating the idea that became the Feed and Seed Food Hub in the Judson Mill food desert just outside of the City of Greenville; helping start public transit through on-demand services in Greenwood, Abbeville and Union counties; coordinating the voluntary efforts that have led to the region’s air quality being well within federal EPA limits, and supporting more than 30 community vibrancy initiatives that enhance downtown revitalization in Upstate communities through the Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Grants.

The work of Dean and Ten at the Top illustrate that creating intentional partnerships and regional thinking is one way to address the pressures of population growth while building collective capacity within one of the fastest growing regions in the United States.