Reggie Hawthorne joins Community Foundation board, adding to his service work

Reggie Hawthorne, director of custodial and building support for University Facilities, has been named to the board of directors of the Community Foundation of Greater Clemson.

He’s also the president of the board of the Littlejohn Community Center and is a member of the board of the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce.

While he may sound like someone who was very intentional about becoming involved in his community, it didn’t happen that way. “I guess this is just the path I’m on,” he says with a laugh.

Hawthorne, an Anderson native who received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Clemson followed by a master’s degree in human resources development, came to work for the University in the late 1990s. He got a job at the Clemson House and was its last manager.

During that time, he was adviser to the Clemson chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, whose community service outreach included the Littlejohn Community Center.

Hawthorne enjoyed working with middle and high school students at the center and eventually was asked to join the board.

As a member of the board, he wants to apply his marketing education to its work.

His community service work adds to his already busy schedule. He has been charged with merging the Housing and Dining custodial operations with Facilities’ operations, standardizing processes and procedures for academic and residential and dining buildings, all while adding new protocols to provide safe buildings for students and employees due to the pandemic.

“It’s certainly not surprising to me Reggie has be asked to serve on this important board. He has been known for many years for his exceptional leadership and we are fortunate to have his skill and experience on the Facilities’ team,” said Todd Barnette, associate vice president and chief facilities officer.

Community involvement is important to him, especially as during this time of change.

“As a minority, it’s important to be visible,” he said. “As we teach the youth to develop our communities, this is where it starts.”

He wants to have an impact on developing future community leaders, he said. “I just want to open doors for those who come behind me.”