Meet the Leadership Team

Brittany Souto
Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President
864-656-7701
bsouto@clemson.edu
Brittany serves as the Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors, as well as the building manager for the Division of Research offices at 230 Kappa St. Prior to joining the office of the Senior Vice President, Brittany served as executive assistant at the Clemson University Research Foundation (CURF) since 2016.

Shelia Cotten
Associate Vice President For Research Development
864-656-1299
scotten@clemson.edu
Shelia joined Clemson in August 2020 to manage the university’s Office of Research Development, foster large multidisciplinary research projects, advance faculty development efforts, and help generate new streams of research support. She is also provost’s distinguished professor and has joint faculty appointments in the sociology, anthropology and criminal justice department and the department of communication.

Windsor Westbrook Sherrill
Associate Vice President for Health Research
864-656-0263
wsherri@clemson.edu
A member of the Clemson faculty since 2000, Windsor serves as Associate Vice President for Health Research, is Provost Distinguished Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, and is Chief Science Officer at Prisma Health, leading Clemson’s health research partnership with the state’s largest health system. As the founding director of the Clemson University School of Health Research, Windsor works with University leadership to build and coordinate Clemson’s health research and education agenda.

Sheila T Lischwe
Director of Sponsored Programs (Pre-Award)
864-656-0814
slischw@clemson.edu
Sheila has directed the Office of Sponsored Programs since 2013, leading Clemson’s pre-award activities. She works to develop, interpret and enforce policies and procedures related to proposal submission, electronic research administration, and non-financial post-award activities; as well as to supervise research contract review.

Robin S Tyndall
Director for Research Compliance
864-656-1525
rtyndal@clemson.edu
Robin works to promote integrity and regulatory compliance in research by leading the Office of Research Compliance, which administers the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). She also serves as the Research Integrity Officer (RIO) and her office promotes education in the Responsible Conduct of Research.

JoAnna Floyd
Director of Industry Contracts
864-656-3989
FLOYD5@clemson.edu
Since 2013, JoAnna has directed Clemson University’s Office of Industry Contracts, which supports Clemson researchers in their pursuit of research funding from private industry and manages and negotiates sponsored research contracts and other related agreements with companies. JoAnna joined Clemson in 2008 as the Assistant Director of Licensing and Contracts with the Clemson University Research Foundation (CURF) and has more than 18 years of experience in technology transfer and sponsored research administration.

Tracy T Walters
Director of Grants and Contracts Administration (Post-Award)
864-656-4532
trwalte@clemson.edu
Tracy has directed the post-award office of the Division of Research since 2018, assisting Clemson faculty and staff with the post-award financial and administrative matters related to sponsored projects. The office has University-wide responsibility for ensuring that project expenses and reports to sponsors are compliant with Federal, State, and University laws and regulations as well as specific sponsor guidelines.

Chris Gesswein
Executive Director of the Clemson University Research Foundation
864-656-0797
agesswe@clemson.edu
Chris works to maximize the societal impact of Clemson University’s research and innovation by facilitating the commercialization of Clemson technology through industry sponsored research and licensing activities. Having more than 25 years of experience bringing various technologies from concept to market, Chris joined CURF in 2014 as Director of Licensing for technology transfer, becoming Interim Executive Director of CURF in 2017, and assuming the role of Executive Director in 2018.

Alisha Oxendine
Conflict of Interest Program Director
864-656-0923
alishah@clemson.edu
Alisha has been program director for the Conflict of Interest office since 2015, working to identify and address real and apparent conflicts of interest within the University community while managing the university’s Conflict of Interest training program that helps faculty and staff engage in appropriate external research and consulting opportunities.

Matt Breed
Attending Veterinarian/Director of Animal Resources
864-656-1850
mbreed@clemson.edu
Matt Breed assumed the role of attending veterinarian at Clemson University in January 2024, leveraging substantial expertise gained from prior roles at Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., the National Institutes of Health, and various universities. Within his role at Clemson, Matt diligently collaborates with faculty, administrators, and staff to elevate the research program within the institution's distinguished and accredited animal care program.

 
Lax Saraf
Director of Electron Microscopy Facility
864-656-7535
lsaraf@clemson.edu
Lax directs user services at the Electron Microscopy Facility, which features world-class surface science and imaging capabilities. In addition to serving users at Clemson University, his team works with many regional, national universities and industries representing aerospace, automotive, pharmaceutical, textile, electronics, environmental and medical science. Lax joined Clemson in 2013 after spending more than a decade as a senior research scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA.

Stephen Lance
Director of the Clemson University Learning Institute
864-878-1103
slance@clemson.edu
Stephen leads the Clemson University Learning Institute, which strives to create best practice program models that help individuals and organizations reach their full potential. The Learning Institute collaborates with other state agencies and non-profits that may not have the resources to evaluate and improve existing services primarily for youth and families.

Terri Bruce
Clemson Light Imaging Facility Director
864-656-1264
terri@clemson.edu
Terri manages the multi-user Light Imaging Facility, which features a number of advanced light microscopes, cell-sorting equipment and a multi-user specimen preparation laboratory. Terri has advanced degrees in chemical engineering and biological sciences, along with vast industry experience in process design engineering and product development.

Daniel Harris
IT Administrator
864-656-4488
dharri2@clemson.edu
Daniel manages various systems in use by the Division of Research with a focus on InfoEd. He also provides general technical assistance and desktop support to Division personnel by acting as the area’s TSP (Technical Support Program) Provider.

Lori Frager
Director of Research Data Analytics
864-656-6114
lfrager@clemson.edu
Lori collects, verifies, analyzes, and disseminates critical research data to a variety of audiences including the Vice President for Research, Board of Trustees, and University Administrators. She develops and maintains various metrics to support the presentation of Clemson's research activities.

Scott Miller
Communications Director
864-656-3970
srm4@clemson.edu
Scott works to promote Division of Research services and programs and to highlight the many accomplishments of the Clemson University research community. Scott joined Clemson in 2014 after spending more than a decade as a newspaper and magazine editor and writer.

Tony Dickerson
Director of Business Affairs
864-656-3165
tonyd@clemson.edu
Tony has served as the director of business affairs since August 2016. His areas of responsibility include financial planning and analysis, budget development, HR management, and InfoEd administration and reporting. Tony works closely with the vice president for research to develop strategic financial/operational plans to maximize the division’s support of the university’s research activities. Previously, Tony was the business officer for Student Affairs.

Rhonda Shaner Ryals
Director, Export Control and Research Security
864-656-4084
rryals@clemson.edu
Rhonda Shaner Ryals joined Clemson in 2021 after a decade at Georgia Tech. Rhonda leads the Office of Export Compliance and Research Security, working closely with University leadership, faculty and staff to enhance fruitful research collaboration both in the United States and abroad.

Mike Bryant
Director, Electronic Research Administration
cbryan8@clemson.edu
As director of Electronic Research Administration, Mike works to enhance the IT infrastructure that supports the pursuit and management of extramural research funding. He has been with Clemson since 2015 and earned his MBA in business analytics at Clemson in 2024.