Tia N. Dumas has been named associate vice president for Strategic Alliances in the Office of the Provost.
Dr. Dumas has been associate dean for Professional Development and Inclusive Excellence in the Graduate School since January 2021. She joined Clemson University as assistant dean in 2016. During her tenure, Dumas established the GRAD 360° professional development program to support Clemson’s graduate students and postdocs pursuing diverse career pathways.
In January 2020, Dumas was appointed a Provost’s Fellow collaborating with Dr. Shontavia Johnson, associate vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation, to facilitate partnerships that advance the University’s strategic plan and help prepare all Clemson students for future careers. This collaboration included building coalitions between Clemson and South Carolina institutions that serve historically underrepresented students.
In her new role, Dumas will support the advancement of the Academic Affairs diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plan. She will work at the nexus of academic, corporate and community relationships to support the recruitment, retention and advancement of academic personnel from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
Dumas is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Educational and Organizational Development. She was previously a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at the University of Louisville.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Oregon before receiving a Ph.D. in counseling and personnel services from the University of Louisville. She is a past graduate of the President’s Leadership Institute at Clemson.
Dumas is a member of the President’s Social Justice and Equity Task Force and the Clemson University Council for Diversity & Inclusion. She previously served on the Commission on Women and the Veterans Commission.
Dumas will report to the Executive Vice President and Provost Bob Jones and will serve on the Provost’s leadership team.