Excellence in Stewardship Award

Joe Ryan and Debra Galinsky are the recipients of the inaugural Excellence in Stewardship awards, which recognize a faculty member and staff member who exemplify excellence in stewardship and gratitude initiatives with donors and volunteers.

Joe Ryan
Ryan, who holds the Sue Stanzione Distinguished Professorship for ClemsonLIFE, is founder and executive director of ClemsonLIFE (Learning is for Everyone), a nationally recognized post-secondary education program for young adults with intellectual disabilities. Ryan has been key in establishing funding priorities to assist with fundraising efforts, and his careful stewardship of philanthropic dollars has allowed the ClemsonLIFE program to hire additional staff, establish a distinguished professorship and provide financial aid to students in need.

Debra Galinsky

Galinsky has exemplified similar principles of stewardship in her role as an administrative assistant in the Department of Psychology. In addition to her other responsibilities, she launched a direct mail campaign to reengage the department’s alumni, which resulted in the creation of two new alumni awards, the renewal of alumni connections and an increase in donations to the department. She is also exploring other ways to engage alumni, such as a newsletter, a tailgate and an advisory board.