Four Clemson University faculty members have been selected for the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Leaders Network (ACC ALN) program. The ACC ALN program fosters cross-institutional networking and collaboration between ACC universities while increasing the academic leadership capacity and intentional personal career growth of each participant within each institution.
The 2026 cohort members are:
- Natasha Croom, Professor, College of Education and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Graduate School
- Michael LeMahieu, Professor and Associate Dean, College of Arts and Humanities
- Karolina Mukhtar, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science
- Danny Weathers, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Marketing, Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business
According to Senior Associate Provost Amy Lawton-Rauh, who also serves as a member of the ACC ALN executive board and as senior ACC ALN liaison for Clemson University, the ACC ALN is a top-tier academic leadership program that cultivates a network of accomplished colleagues focused on action-oriented academics-centered leadership in three stages: leading as an individual, leading with others, and leading higher education.
“The 2026 ACC Academic Leaders Network is comprised of deeply engaged and experienced academic leaders across the ACC academic consortium seeking opportunities to dedicate intentional time for highly collaborative networking and personal career growth,” said Lawton-Rauh. “Each participant brings a depth of expertise, experience, long-term perspective, and a demonstrated commitment to strengthening our disciplines and institutions through shared learning, innovative strategic team building and empowerment, and succession planning embedded with a growth mindset. Clemson is proud to contribute to and learn from this community of leaders advancing their own career growth centered on shaping the future of higher education and academia.”
The Clemson cohort will participate in a virtual kickoff in early February, engage with cohorts from ACC universities in the 2026 ACC ALN program on a community of practice project, and attend three in-person conferences along with their ACC ALN liaisons and the ACC Academic Consortium Director at:
- Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (March 23-25, 2026)
- University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind. (June 29-July 1, 2026)
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. (October 5-7, 2026)
ABOUT THE ACADEMIC LEADERS NETWORK (ALN)
The ALN debuted in 2018 after ACC Provosts decided to create a program that would leverage ideas and emerging leadership capacity across all ACC universities while empowering individuals on their career journeys. Each institution selects four-five accomplished faculty leaders — deans, academic vice presidents, department chairs, associate deans and other academic administrators — to join a yearlong ACC-wide cohort focused on leadership development, collaboration and understanding of trends and timely challenges in higher education. The themes of the three in-person conferences are 1) leading as an individual, 2) leading in collaboration with others and 3) leading in higher education.
