Every year, the Alumni Association honors 10 outstanding young alumni who have made an impact in business, leadership, community, education and/or philanthropy.
Meet the 2021 honorees:
Daniel R. Alexander ’11, M ’12
Alexander is director of operations for Anovotek, which specializes in textiles and performance technologies. He is an active advocate for increasing broadband and quality-of-life opportunities in South Carolina’s rural areas. As a graduate student, he helped create the Golf Paws program, which encourages financial support for Clemson’s golf teams.
Danielle Lester Arrington ’13
Arrington is director of talent acquisition in Clemson’s Office of Human Resources. She has been named a College and University Professional Association for Human Resources Rockstar and a Workforce Magazine Gold Optimas Award for recruiting.
Emily Martin Ewoldt ’13
Ewoldt, dentist and co-owner of Clemson Family Dentistry, is membership chair of the Clemson Rotary Club, where she is helping establish a satellite club for University employees. A member of Tri-County Dental Society, she speaks to University students interested in dentistry careers.
Christopher M. Harrington ’04, M ’19
Harrington, Clemson University police captain, has arranged specialized training for Upstate officers in force de-escalation, mental health crisis response and active bystandership skills and served as principal investigator for more than $300,000 in grant funding. He participated in a Clemson/AnMed Health Racial Equity Institute in 2019 and in 2020 was a panelist for AnMed Health’s Connect 2020 diversity and inclusion symposium.
Lauren Burdine Hood ’12, M ’21
Hood, York County 4-H youth development agent with Clemson Cooperative Extension, has led the York County 4-H Club to numerous state honors. She is president of the S.C. chapter of the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals. For Clemson, she is the Upstate District representative of the Extension Senate and a board member of the Women’s Alumni Council.
Jennifer Spaniel Moore ’10, M ’17
Moore is chief operating officer of Greenville, S.C.-based Graycliff Partners, a real estate development and investment company. She joined the company in 2014 and quickly rose through the ranks to the COO position in 2017. Moore volunteers for the Ronald McDonald House and is an advocate for local initiatives that develop young women in leadership.
Colleen J. Thomas ’13
Author of Beautiful Skin: A Children’s Book about Overcoming Racism, Thomas is the director of strategic impact for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, a nonprofit that provides STEM field education for teachers and underserved students. She published Beautiful Skin, an Amazon #1 New Release in 2020, to help parents talk about and understand race, racism and diversity.
Daniel R. Thompson Ph.D. ’12
Thompson, laboratory manager for the Department of Physics and Astronomy, returned to Clemson in 2017 after five years as an engineer for General Motors. He supervises graduate teaching assistants, provides lecture demonstrations and conducts science outreach programs. He tutors undergraduates and mentors graduate students. In 2021, he received an Outstanding Team Award from the College of Science for exemplary service during the pandemic.
Kathleen Mourning Turner ’11
Turner, owner of Invited Grace Co., an interior design firm that serves the Upstate, Charlotte and the Carolina coast, is past president of the Clemson Young Alumni Council. Since 2017, she has helped organize their annual Fall Band Party in Greenville, S.C. In 2016, Turner chaired the Trident United Way of Giving in Charleston, S.C., raising more than $30,000.
Frances T. Yarbrough ’13
Yarbrough is a civil engineering team leader in the Charlotte office of the SeamonWhiteside landscape architecture, planning and civil engineering firm. In 2021, she was featured in an interview with Authority Magazine on ways to close the gender gap in traditionally male-dominated industries. Yarbrough is a member of the Urban Land Institute and volunteers with the Crisis Assistance Ministry and Roof Above, which provide individuals with emergency shelter, meals, income and housing assistance.
