Faculty Representative To the Board of Trustees

A call for nominations (self-nominations are welcome) is in effect for the selection of the next Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees. Candidate materials will be accepted through April 30^th and the selection will be announced no later than May 14^th with duties to begin in conjunction with the July Board of Trustees meeting. The selection committee will make their final decision based on the submitted application materials. These materials should include: a complete curriculum vitae, a statement of interest from the nominee, and a statement from the nominee detailing experience in faculty governance. For more information please contact the Faculty Senate Office.

The Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees, a position established in 1998 with a three-year term, is celebrated because of the opportunity it provides to heighten and strengthen communications between the Clemson faculty and the Board. All tenured regular Clemson University faculty are eligible for this position.

The Faculty Representative to the Board is recognized as the official representative of the faculty and is granted privileges beyond those accorded to visitors to the Board’s meetings including receipt of minutes, agendas, and attachments of all Board and committee meetings and an opportunity to be included on the agenda upon approval. As the primary conduit between the Board and faculty, this representative will communicate with and gather information from faculty, and consult with the Faculty Senate on Board-related matters.

The Board meets quarterly, in October, February, April and July of each year. The Faculty Representative provides a written report to the Board's Educational Policy Committee and an oral report at the public meeting of the Board. Additionally, this representative is an ex-officio member of the Faculty Senate’s Advisory Committee. The representative also provides reports at several of the General Faculty Meetings, which are held in December, May, and in conjunction with the August Convocation.

A call for nominations (self-nominations are welcome) is sent every third year or upon the resignation of a representative, via the Faculty Senate Office on behalf of the selection committee chair. The selection committee of two previous Board Representatives, two Distinguished Alumni Professors, the Faculty Senate President and VP/President-Elect, and the lead Faculty Senators from all Colleges not otherwise represented make their final decision based on the application materials. These materials include a complete curriculum vitae, a statement of interest from the nominee, and a statement from the nominee detailing experience in faculty governance. See Appendix B: Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees of the Faculty Manual for additional details.

Representative

Brian Powell

2021-2023 — Brian Powell

Dr. Brian A. Powell holds the Fjeld Professorship in Nuclear Environmental Engineering and Science and is jointly appointed in the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences and the Department of Chemistry at Clemson University. Dr. Powell is also a joint appointee at the Savannah River National Laboratory with the objective of building research collaborations between Clemson and SRNL. Dr. Powell has published 98 refereed journal publications, 29 Department of Energy research reports, and made over 170 technical presentations covering treatment and storage of radioactive waste and the migration of heavy metals and radionuclides in the environment. He has conducted sponsored research in a wide range of projects dealing with topics of environmental chemistry, radiochemistry, geochemical reaction modeling and thermodynamic database development, evaluation of nanoparticle behavior, subsurface migration of actinides and fission products, and related topics. These research projects have received over $20.4M in funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Nuclear Security Agency, and Savannah River Nuclear Services. The knowledge gained from this work can be used to evaluate risk to human and environmental health posed by subsurface contamination, to design remediation strategies for contaminated sites, and to facilitate the use of safe disposal practices. Dr. Powell has been married to Melissa Tidwell Powell (Clemson Graduate, 2001 M.A. Professional Communications; 2004 M.S. Counseling) for 20 years and they have a 12-year-old daughter Mae. They live in Pendleton where Melissa runs the local business Green Heart Awakening, LLC on the Pendleton square. The family enjoys hiking, camping, rock climbing, catching wild animals, music, and brewing beer.

Past Representatives

2018-2021 — Joseph Ryan

Dr. Joe Ryan is the Sue Stanzione Distinguished Professor of special education. He is the founder and Executive Director of Clemson LIFE (Learning is for Everyone), a nationally recognized post-secondary education program for young adults with intellectual disabilities. He has taught students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) from grades K through 12 across a variety of educational settings, including resource and self-contained classrooms, special day schools, and a residential treatment center. Dr. Ryan has over 80 publications, and currently serves as the Editor of the journal Beyond Behavior. His research interests focus on behavioral interventions and enhancing post-school outcomes for individuals with intellectual disabilities. He has been interviewed by Anderson Cooper, CNN, Headline News, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other leading periodicals, and given two U.S. Congressional Briefings on behavioral crisis interventions for schools. Dr. Ryan is also the founder and Director of several adaptive sports programs (baseball, soccer), Clemson Letterbox Club an educational program for children in foster care, and volunteers as a Guardian ad Litem. He is a retired Captain in the United States Navy Reserve.

2015-2018 — O. Thompson Mefford

Thompson is an Associate Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering department. As the faculty representative to the Board of Trustees, he seeks the betterment of the University through the recruitment and retention of scholastic leaders, and enhancing the outward reputation of the University. He is dedicated to enhancing the two-way communication between the faculty and the Board. His research focuses on developing stable, biocompatible polymer-metal oxide nanoparticle complexes and composites for biomedical, environmental, and energy applications. These applications include: developing materials for magnetic hyperthermia, MRI contrast agents, and drug delivery systems. As a materials chemist, he has expertise in nanomaterial synthesis, characterization of colloids, and the physics of magnetic nanoparticles. In his free time, Dr. Mefford is found running, cycling, paddling, backpacking, gardening, and homebrewing.

Other past Faculty Representatives to the Board of Trustees include: David Blakesley (2012-2015), Tony Cawthon (2011-2012), Windsor Westbrook Sherrill (2009-2011), John Ballato (2006-2008), Alan Grubb (2003-2005), Pat Smart (2001-2003), and Fran McGuire (1999-2001).