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Graduate School Directory
Leadership Team
John M. Lopes, Ph.D.
Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
jmlopes@clemson.edu
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
864-656-4172
John Lopes oversees all activities within the Graduate School. This includes advising the Provost on policy related to graduate education, overseeing all processes from application through graduation, and professional development for graduate students and faculty. He leads the Graduate School staff in working closely with academic units to support their goals and mission, developing and supporting innovative initiatives in graduate education, and evaluating and maintaining the exceptional quality of programs offered at Clemson. He is involved in recruiting, admissions, orientation, professional development, and inclusive excellence. He also works with faculty and staff to ensure that Clemson is effectively advocating for graduate students.
Natasha N. Croom, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs
nncroom@clemson.edu
864-656-2878
Natasha Croom works with the Office of Graduate Admissions, student academic progress processes, orientation and onboarding initiatives, funding efforts (i.e., assistantships, fellowships), recognition awards, and the Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan in the Graduate School. She serves as the non-voting Chair of the Graduate Council, as well as the Graduate Fellowship and Awards Committee. Foregrounding an equity lens, she works collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, and other divisions and units across campus to resolve dilemmas that may interfere with a graduate student’s overall well-being and academic success.
Croom is a tenured Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs in the Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development in the College of Education. As a critical race feminist qualitative scholar-practitioner, her scholarship focuses on disrupting intersecting systems of oppression (i.e., racism, sexism, classism, etc.) at the individual, group, institutional, systemic, and ideological levels of higher education. Through her praxis, she strives to work in and with communities to support the creation of policies, procedures, practices, opportunities, and spaces constructed from equity-based ideologies throughout and beyond post-secondary education environments and contexts. Prior to her Graduate School role, she served as Special Advisor to the Dean for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence in of the College of Education and as Program Coordinator for the Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership. Croom earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in Higher Education from Iowa State University, a Master of Science in Education in Higher Education Administration from Texas A&M University (College Station), and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Jeffrey C. Hallo, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Policy and Program Effectiveness
jhallo@clemson.edu
864-656-3036
Jeff Hallo leads the Policy and Procedure Review Program in partnership with the Director of Student Success and the faculty and student representatives on the Graduate Advisory Committee. This program involves a systematic, holistic, and guided review of the Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures ensuring support for equity and inclusion, student health and wellness, and faculty/staff workload balance. Jeff also leads Graduate Academic Program Self (GAPS) Reviews in close partnership with the Director of Program Review and Effectiveness to support graduate faculty in their continuous improvement of all graduate degrees and certificate programs at Clemson.
Jeff’s research and teaching are focused on understanding, planning for, and managing visitors in parks, forests, and other protected areas. His projects have occurred across the U.S., spanning from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska) to El Yunque National Forest (Puerto Rico), and also include international efforts in Keyna and Jordan. He is a Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, and previously served as the department’s Interim Chair and Graduate Coordinator.
William G. Ferrell, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Curriculum, Academic Integrity, and Grievances
fwillia@clemson.edu
864-656-2724
Bill Ferrell is the nonvoting chair of the Graduate Curriculum Committee, Graduate Academic Grievance Committee, and the Graduate Academic Integrity Committee. In addition to leading the meetings, he also provides advice to faculty and students on matters within the purview of these committees.
He is Fluor International Supply Chain Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering in the College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences. His research and teaching interests are in supply chain logistics. Recently, his students have been focusing on research related to designing systems and facilities that support horizontal and vertical collaboration in logistics.
Marieke Van Puymbroeck, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Professional Development, Health and Well-Being
Marieke Van Puymbroeck focuses on a diverse portfolio of activities designed to holistically improve the graduate student experience. Marieke’s portfolio includes oversight of the GRAD 360° professional development program and the creation and oversight of the Graduate Center for Transformational Mentorship and Accelerate to Industry (A2i) at Clemson. Marieke works closely with the Research Initiatives team of the Graduate Student Government to bring three-minute thesis (3MT) and iGRADS competitions to life. Marieke is also focused on enhancing the well-being and health of graduate students and is involved in many activities related to these efforts.
Marieke earned her B.S. in therapeutic recreation at Longwood College (now University), her M.S. in therapeutic recreation from the University of Florida, and her Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Florida. Her research has been funded by NSF, ACL, NIH, AOTA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and many other agencies. Marieke’s research focuses primarily on the use of yoga as a therapeutic intervention for people with neurological issues and fall prevention programs for older adults. More recently, Marieke’s research efforts are focused on enhancing the mentoring environment at Clemson. Before joining the Graduate School, she served as Professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management.
Admissions Team
Jessica Zagorski
Director of Graduate Admissions
jzagors@clemson.edu
E-209 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
864-656-2561
The director of graduate admissions and recruitment oversees the operations of the Graduate Admissions Office by providing leadership and administrative direction for the implementation of the recruitment strategies and admission policies and procedures of the Graduate School.
Scott Phillips
Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions
sphill8@clemson.edu
E-209 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
864-656-6824
As Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions, Scott is responsible for system administration of the online application and CRM systems (Slate, Admit, and Prospect) as well as providing training for those systems. He works with graduate departments to create and implement communication plans, ensures the integrity of data within the student information system, and manages the change-of-term process.
Aaron Ducksworth
International Admissions Coord.
aducksw@clemson.edu
E-209 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
864-656-5342
Aaron serves as a liaison to academic departments, program coordinators, and prospective applicants with regard to admission procedures, and coordinates the admissions process for international applicants.
Taylor Matthews-Naylor
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Domestic Admissions Coord.
tmmatth@clemson.edu
E-209 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
864-656-4185
amaw@clemson.edu
E-209 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
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Taylor receives and processes digital and mail-in transcripts, provides recruitment support, manages the Bachelor-to-Graduate process, and coordinates the admissions process for domestic applicants.
Kristieona EptingAdministrative Team
Dena Smith
Executive Assistant
denas@clemson.edu
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
864-656-4172
Dena is the executive assistant to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School and acts as office manager (Military Friendly designated staff).
Rebecca Towe
Administrative Coordinator
rtowe@clemson.edu
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
864-656-9349
Rebecca provides support to the deans and various Graduate School Committees and is a member of the GRAD 360° professional development team.
Jen Charette
Administrative Assistant
jcharet@clemson.edu
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
864-656-5202
blassin@clemson.edu
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
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Jen welcomes Graduate School visitors to the office and provides processing of graduate assistantships and fellowships, student payroll, several other forms and procedures, and departmental procurement.
Banner and Data
Kelsey Loftus
Business Analyst
klloftu@clemson.edu
E-304 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
Kelsey provides data analyses with a university-wide scope to support the Graduate School and the goals of Clemson University to become a “Top 20” research institution. Directs and manages the Graduate Assistantship and Fellowship tracking system along with the related processes and data.
Greg Anderson
Student Systems Business Analyst
gander3@clemson.edu
E-304 Martin Hall
Clemson SC 29634
Greg analyzes inefficiencies within the Graduate School’s application and admissions processes, and recommends technical solutions to improve them.
Program Review
Cairen Withington
Director of Program Review and Effectiveness
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
864-656-3251
Cairen works with Graduate School leadership to ensure that the Graduate School fulfills its mandates to perform comprehensive reviews of all graduate programs, to ensure that academic leaders have the data they need to set goals and improve program effectiveness, and to continue the Graduate School’s efforts to collaborate with academic units to ensure the best possible outcomes for graduate students.
Fujaila ShahnajStudent Success
Jaquetta Ross
Director of Graduate Student Success
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
The Director of Graduate Student Success works with the Graduate School leadership team, faculty, campus organizations, and staff to enhance measures of student success for graduate students. They oversee onboarding, student engagement, retention strategies, and developing programs to aid students in completing their graduate degrees.
Communications and Marketing
Jill E. Bunch
Director of Communications
jillbb@clemson.edu
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
Jill directs the Graduate School’s internal and external communications and marketing, acts as managing editor of publications and multimedia content, and oversees staff in charge of admissions recruitment. She is a member of the GRAD 360° professional development team.
Mike Posey
Marketing & Engagement Strategist
mposey@clemson.edu
D-139A P&AS Building
Clemson SC 29634
864-650-0797
Mike leads Graduate Admissions' marketing and recruitment efforts via Slate, the Graduate School's student relationship management system. He also handles the marketing and communications efforts for the Master of Transportation Safety Administration program, which is housed in the Graduate School.
Bob Freeman
Graduation Standards Coordinator
rjfreem@clemson.edu
E-304 Martin Hall
Clemson SC 29634
Bob reviews student thesis and dissertation manuscripts to ensure proper formatting, produces Graduate School online content, assists with the creation and curation of forms, internal publications, and print graphics. He also helps to organize and manage the doctoral commencement ceremony.
PATHWAYS INITIATIVES
LeAndrea Robinson
Pathways Initiatives Coordinator
leandr2@clemson.edu
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson SC 29634
864-656-4738
LeAndrea provides support services to graduate students in fellowships and similar award programs that support academic success of students from underrepresented backgrounds through collaborative strategic recruitment, retention, liaison, and evaluation initiatives.
Professional Development
Jenny Presgraves, Ph.D.
Director of Professional Development and Well-Being
betsyp@clemson.edu
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 2963
864-656-1546
Jenny directs and manages programs and services for GRAD 360°, the Graduate School’s comprehensive professional development program for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. In addition to developing and hosting PD events, the team is creating a portfolio of mentoring programs focusing on the needs of international students and students from historically underrepresented identities in graduate education.
Rieta Drinkwine, Ph.D.
STEM Program Coordinator
rdrinkw@clemson.edu
E-106 Martin Hall
Clemson, SC 2963
864-656-2854
In collaboration with the GRAD360 team, the STEM Program Coordinator is responsible for launching new programs and coordinating existing programs focused on the development of industry partnerships for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
