Contact Us

Staff

L. Jerry Knighton Jr., MPA

Assistant Vice President for Access and Equity/
Executive Director of Supplier Diversity
knightl@clemson.edu

Jerry Knighton oversees the Office of Access and Equity and serves as the University's Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Officer. He monitors the University's compliance with federal and state laws to ensure fairness in hiring of minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities and is responsible for ensuring civil rights compliance for faculty, staff and students. Additionally, Mr. Knighton serves as the point of contact for implementation of the University's Diversity Procurement Initiative which implements programs and other activities to achieve established diverse business participation goals. Target businesses include those certified as minority, women, veteran, disabled, LBGTQ, and disadvantaged owned.

Mr. Knighton also works with the Graduate School in efforts to increase the enrollment and retention of underrepresented domestic doctoral students of color who are pursuing careers in academia.

Mr. Knighton is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he obtained both a B.A. in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at Clemson University.

Compliance and Investigations

Alesia Smith, MS

Executive Director of Equity Compliance/Title IX Coordinator
alesias@clemson.edu

Alesia Smith serves as Executive Director of Equity Compliance/Title IX Coordinator and is responsible for the overall administration of the office, its activities and programs. The position oversees, directs and provides leadership for activities of the office and serves as the university’s liaison for Title IX, harassment and discrimination matters both on and off campus.

Ms. Smith also leads efforts across all divisions of the University to ensure compliance with statutory and

regulatory requirements as they relate to Title IX laws and regulations. She provides oversight of University‐wide education, training, and outreach programming related to Title IX.

Ms. Smith has over 25 years of experience in higher education administration in areas of student conduct, Title IX, training, compliance with state and federal laws and policies and management. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications and a Master of Science in Political Science with an emphasis in Public Administration from Illinois State University.

Priscilla Harrison, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP

priscih@clemson.edu

Priscilla Harrison serves as the Director, ADA Services & Compliance and ADA Coordinator for Clemson University. She oversees the University’s programs, policies and procedures to assure compliance with Title II of the ADA and Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act; coordinates investigations of complaints and makes final determinations regarding allegations of violation of the University’s policies prohibiting harassment and discrimination in employment, programs and services under Title II of the ADA and Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act; assesses disability accommodation needs for faculty, staff, and visitors; advises departments in resolving accessibility concerns; develops and provides training and programs in leadership development, organizational effectiveness, compliance, equitable treatment, and diversity; and serves as the Chair of Clemson University’s Accessibility Commission.

Ms. Harrison has over sixteen years of experience in Human Resources working in the areas of employee relations, employment law, organizational effectiveness, performance management, training, regulatory compliance, and recruiting. Her background includes diverse experience in multiple industries including higher education, aerospace, healthcare, and software development.

Ms. Harrison is a graduate of Clemson University with a MBA and Bachelors of Science in Computer Science.

Education and Training

Megan Fallon, MA

Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator
mrfallo@clemson.edu

Megan Fallon serves as the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator. She assists with Title IX compliance through educating and training the campus community on violence prevention. Megan coordinates awareness programs and services across campus to help survivors of abuse get the resources and care they need.
 
Ms. Fallon received her B.A. in Political Science from the State University of New York College at Potsdam and M.A. in Cultural Studies from Dartmouth College. She also received a certificate from Oxford University where she studied Human Rights. Megan has worked in violence prevention for 12 years working with families, children, women in prison, victims of trafficking, and of course college students.

Paula A. Porter, MBA

pporter@clemson.edu

Paula Porter serves as the administrator for the Civil Treatment Professional Development Program. Her responsibilities include communicating with participants, area coordinators, facilitators and vendors as well as monitoring registration and summarizing program evaluations for reporting purposes. Additionally, Ms. Porter co-investigates/scribes for accessibility cases. She reports on all other office training to include Managing Diversity in the Workplace, AA/EEO Hiring Procedures, ADA, Harassment, and Title IX. Ms. Porter monitors the department’s case management system (MAXIENT) and maintains the Office of Access and Equity website.

Ms. Porter has over 17 years’ experience in higher education as an administrative professional. She is a graduate of Clemson University where she received both her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and International Trade and Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.