CCIT graduates their inaugural Emerging Leaders cohort

On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, members of Clemson’s Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) division gathered to celebrate the conclusion of the inaugural CCIT Emerging Leaders Institute (CELI). The cohort included 19 employees from across the division who spent the last nine months immersed in leadership best practices, exposure to various areas across CCIT and the University, team-building exercises and community partner work. Brian Voss, vice president and chief information officer, offered high praise to the graduates at the ceremony.

Throughout this program, you had the chance to experience what it means to be a leader and to determine if that is the right path for you,” said Voss. “I am proud of the hard work that this group accomplished and the impact it has on our division.”

During the ceremony, groups presented capstone project pitches to the CCIT leadership in attendance. Each project highlighted ideas and possible enhancements to existing programs in CCIT. Marjorie Campbell, director of organizational effectiveness and special projects, said CELI’s first cohort established a strong foothold for future cohorts and thanked participants for their dedication to the program.

“This cohort was truly special and worked incredibly hard,” said Campbell. “We accomplished so much together, and the core goal of this program has always been to invest in our greatest asset — our people.”

Carla Rathbone, deputy chief information officer, also celebrated the employees who worked to make this program a success. 

“A lot of hard work and dedication go into the execution of these programs, so many thanks to the leadership team and participants in making this first year so successful,” said Rathbone. 

The graduates of the inaugural program included: 

Network Services and Telecommunications 

Edric Griffin, network edge manager 

Brett LaBerdia, automation and wireless manager

Colton Keasler, inside plant manager

Research Computing and Data

Asher Antao, director of advanced computing and data services

Doug Dawson, director of cloud and software services

Nick Rengier, systems architect 

Zach Jordan, HPC systems administrator

Application Services

Janeen Scott, systems programmer/developer IV

Jessica Jones, senior web developer

Samuel Urh, manager, enterprise workflow 

Internal Operations

Becky Nelms, program manager II

DeeDee Fazzone, DHHS senior fiscal manager

Hannah Smith, account/fiscal analyst II

Jessica Martin, project manager II  

Walker Massey, IT accessibility specialist

IT Infrastructure Operations

Jason Davis, systems programmer/developer IV

Allie Green, IDE developer

Customer Support Services  

Casey Wallace, team lead consultant

Mike Slater, service desk manager

The CELI program will welcome the next cohort during the fall 2025.