Kris Hodge named associate dean for Office of Community and Ethical Standards

Kris Hodge, most recently an assistant solicitor for Greenville and Pickens counties, has been named associate dean of students for the Office of Community and Ethical Standards (OCES) at Clemson University. She started her position in March.

“I have been an assistant solicitor for the last 25 years, where I was responsible for prosecuting sexual abuse, sexual assault and violent crimes,” Hodge said. “The work I’ve done has prepared me to lead OCES and I am confident my skills will translate to this position effectively. I’m very excited for this change and looking forward to working with our students, faculty and staff.”

In her role, Hodge will lead a staff charged with maintaining confidential student discipline records, investigating reported violations of student regulations and arranging for the adjudication of conduct cases.

“Kris has an incredible pedigree within the legal profession and will be a tremendous asset to our student conduct team,” said Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Chris Miller. “I look forward to relying on her experience as we move forward with some of the recent enhancements to OCES and our conduct process.”

The bulk of Hodge’s professional career was spent with the Office of the 13^th Circuit Solicitor. Hodge was the lead for the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit since 2011. She was responsible for the supervision of five attorneys, two investigators and support staff as head of the unit.

Her duties included preparing and presenting jury trials, motion hearings, conducting investigations, engaging in plea negotiations, making sentence recommendations and maintaining a large docket of warrants. Hodge assisted the solicitor in the development and implementation of the first case management system and assisted with the reorganization of victim advocate duties and responsibilities within the office.

Hodge has been a leader among her peers, especially within the state of South Carolina. From 2002-06, she taught other prosecutors as a faculty member for the National College of District Attorneys to raise respective skill levels in trial preparation and presentation. She has also been a member of the South Carolina Sexual Assault Response Team in Greenville since 2015.

Hodge earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina in 1991 and a juris doctorate from USC’s School of Law in 1994. She began her career as a clerk for several in-state law firms before moving into the Office of the 13^th Circuit Solicitor.