Dr. Chris Orem serves as the Executive Director for the Office of Planning, Analytics and Institutional Research (PAIR). He is also JMU’s Institutional Accreditation Liaison for SACSCOC. Dr. Orem first came to JMU in 2008 to work in the Office of Residence Life. After earning his Ph.D. in JMU’s Assessment and Measurement program in 2012, he served as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness at what is now called Mountain Gateway Community College in Clifton Forge, VA.

In 2016, Dr. Orem returned to JMU as the Associate Director for Institutional Research. He was promoted to Director in 2018, and in 2023, he led the unit through a reorganization to become the Office of Planning, Analytics, and Institutional Research, expanding the office’s role to oversee the university’s strategic planning and institutional accreditation efforts.

Dr. Orem currently serves as the President for the Virginia Association for Institutional Research and regularly presents at various state, regional, and national conferences.