As a Clemson faculty member since 2003 and lifelong educator, Roy Jones has been a nationally recognized scholar and leader for teachers at all levels of education. Through scholarship and teacher education, Jones has served as an advocate for students, families and communities in South Carolina and across the nation. Jones, a College of Education faculty member and executive director of Call Me MISTER®, will retire from Clemson University effective June 2026.
Call Me MISTER® is a nationally renowned teacher recruitment and retention program that seeks to increase the number of teachers in hard-to-staff schools. The program has received accolades from a broad spectrum of education associations and regular attention from the national media. It marked its 25th anniversary earlier this year.
According to Kristin M. Gehsmann, dean of the College of Education, Jones’ prolific career has left a lasting legacy at Clemson and in the field of education.
“The positive effect that Dr. Jones has had in our field is almost impossible to quantify; it is felt in every MiSTER who brings excellence to their classroom and every leader he has mentored,” Gehsmann said. “This is to say nothing of his tireless outreach and relationship building with community leaders and valued partners, which has established Clemson University and our College as an innovative force in education across the U.S.”
Jones has successfully implemented and directed numerous programs in higher education throughout his career. He has presented countless workshops, seminars, forums and panel discussions involving issues in education.
In 2019, Jones was appointed provost distinguished professor, a special designation awarded by the provost to recognize outstanding scholars who are highly productive and build a national reputation for Clemson University.
Jones said he is excited to see where the Call Me MiSTER program goes in the hands of so many capable leaders within the program at Clemson University and partner institutions.
“Call Me MiSTER started as an idea at Clemson, and in partnership with three HBCUs in South Carolina, that idea ignited what is now a national movement,” Jones said. “I have been with the program from the beginning, first as program coordinator at Claflin University and for the past 23 years as executive director at Clemson. It has been the honor of my career, and I am very excited to see where the next generation of leaders takes this transformational program.”
Previously, Jones served as associate professor in the Division of Education at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Jones served as chair of the division when Claflin became the first historically black private institution in the state to receive accreditation from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). From 1990 to 1998, Jones served as director of employment for the Charleston County School District and was responsible for the district’s teacher and staff recruitment programs.
Effective January 1, 2026, Michelle Cook, senior associate dean of undergraduate studies in the College, will serve as interim executive director of Call Me MiSTER while a national search for permanent executive director commences.
