The Clemson Young Alumni Council annually recognizes 10 outstanding individuals who have graduated within the last 10 years for their impact in business, leadership, community, educational and philanthropic endeavors. The honor is given to individuals who exemplify Clemson’s core values of honesty, integrity and respect while also demonstrating the characteristics of a determined spirit.
Austin Teague Ferguson ’15, M ’17
Architect, heinlewischer
Berlin, Germany
Austin Teague Ferguson is a Greer, South Carolina, native with two Clemson University degrees, including a 2015 bachelor’s degree in architecture. After earning a master’s degree in the architecture + health program in 2017, he joined ZGF Architects in New York City. As a member of ZGF’s health care design team, he collaborated on projects across the country. In 2019, he received Healthcare Design magazine’s Rising Star award, which celebrates young industry professionals whose meaningful contributions help establish them as future leaders.
In 2020, Ferguson moved to Germany to accept a position in the Berlin office of the architecture firm heinlewischer. He was soon tasked with planning and coordinating the construction of six COVID-19 mass vaccination centers. The initial project was completed in six weeks and then expanded to include smaller booster vaccination sites.
A year after the vaccination centers closed, Ferguson and project consultants were asked to plan and construct a new arrival center at the former Berlin Tegel Airport to serve as a central hub for Ukrainian war refugees fleeing to Germany. The center was operational within one week and was able to accommodate up to 2,500 guests by the end of the second week.
While living in New York, Ferguson volunteered in the ACE Mentor Program of America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing high school students for higher education and careers in design and construction by connecting them with industry experts. For Clemson, he participates in presentations and discussions with current students and is a guest critic for the architecture + health program, providing feedback as students prepare their projects for final reviews. He actively works to connect Clemson architecture students and recent graduates with internship and career opportunities.
Londan Means Charley ’13, M ’18
Director of Advising and Student Development, Clemson University Honors College
Anderson, South Carolina
Londan Means Charley, a resident of Anderson, South Carolina, and native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with a minor in psychology in 2013 and a graduate certificate in clinical and translational research in 2015. She received a master’s degree in biological sciences in 2018 and will complete a doctoral degree in educational leadership this year.
Since 2022, Charley has served as director of advising and student development for the Clemson University Honors College, where she provides vision and leadership for student services and initiatives. Previously, she worked for seven years as an academic advisor, lead advisor and director of academic advising in the Department of Biological Sciences. She began her professional career at Clemson in 2013 as a data coordinator in the Office of Registration Services.
Charley has participated in both the President’s Leadership Institute and the Women’s Administrative Leadership Development Program. She was a mentor and presenter in the CU Grow staff development program and a frequent participant in the Men of Impact Summit and Women’s Roundtable Conference. Her many recognitions include the College of Science’s Outstanding Team Award and the Outstanding Staff Member Award. She also received the University-level Class of 1956 Staff Excellence Award and Unsung Student Hero of the Year Award.
Beneficiaries of Charley’s community service range from soup kitchens in Anderson and Spartanburg to the Clemson Free Clinic and the Clemson Child Development Center. Much of her volunteerism is accomplished through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. She was initiated into the sorority’s Omicron Phi Chapter as a Clemson student and has remained active as an alumna. She is the immediate past president of the sorority’s Anderson Alumnae Chapter and currently serves as South Carolina state coordinator west for the South Atlantic region.
Charley met her husband, Christopher Charley ’15, while they attended Clemson as undergraduate students. They were married on June 22, 2019, at the Clemson University Madren Center and Owen Pavilion. They welcomed twins — a daughter and a son, Londan and Landon Charley — in April 2021.
Maj. Michael DesJardin ’14
Medical Logistics Advisor, U.S. Army
Tacoma, Washington
Michael DesJardin, who participated in Clemson University’s ROTC program, graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in financial management and a U.S. Army commission as a medical service corps officer. In 2023, he earned a master’s degree in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University.
He has served with distinction during the first 10 years of his military career in posts ranging from South Korea to Alaska to Iraq. Among his many accomplishments, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, he developed the force health protection plan for all bases in Iraq. He then returned to Alaska to command Role 2 health services and force protection for more than 4,500 soldiers across that state. He has fulfilled multiple assignments to observe, coach, train and mentor units in all three components of the U.S. Army: active duty, National Guard and Army Reserve. Currently, he plans and synchronizes medical logistics operations in the Indo-Pacific area and advises U.S. partners, such as the Philippines and Japan, on Army health care operations and systems.
DesJardin’s civic service activities have ranged from participating in community cleanups in South Korea to volunteering with the Fairbanks Salvation Army in Alaska. Now living in Tacoma, Washington, he helps with the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Kid’s Festival, supporting the pediatric dental hygiene booth that his wife, Army dentist Capt. Meagan B. Green, established and runs. He mentors other Clemson alumni in the Army and donates to the Clemson Corps fund to give back to the ROTC program. DesJardin has been an IPTAY donor since he was a student and returns to campus for athletic and other events when possible. He has been involved with multiple Clemson alumni programs and events near his various duty stations.
Emily Blackshire Giel ’17
State Policy Associate, University of Notre Dame
Bluffton, South Carolina
Emily Giel, a resident of Bluffton, South Carolina, and a native of Hilton Head, South Carolina, graduated from Clemson University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in language and international health. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2021.
While in law school, Giel began working in the Richland County Public Defender’s Office and continued there after graduation. She represented more than 500 individuals in Columbia Municipal Court and collaborated with service providers across the Midlands to connect her clients with housing, transportation, health care, civil legal services, child care and mental health resources.
In 2022, she received an Equal Justice Works Fellowship to serve as the housing justice attorney in the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center. She helped lead a collaborative effort to establish the Richland County Housing Court to address the needs of tenants at risk of being evicted from their homes.
In 2024, Giel joined the University of Notre Dame’s Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. She helps state and local legislators across the country draft data-driven policy to reduce poverty. She spends her free time at the Coastal Discovery Museum in Hilton Head, where she creates social media content about everything from massive art installations to baby alligators.
Giel’s community service accomplishments range from helping to create the Paw Pantry student-to-student food bank as a Clemson undergraduate to helping refugees from multiple countries resettle in the Columbia area while she was in law school. She also founded a 2020–2021 newsletter and dialogue series called Unlearning Racism and served on the board of the Rainy Day Fund, a financial support nonprofit that pays fines, fees and other expenses for people impacted by the criminal legal system. She and her husband, Taylor Edward Giel ’16, return to campus as often as possible.
Ann Collins Josey King ’20
Senior Relationship Manager, Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Ann Collins Josey King of Charleston, South Carolina, graduated from Clemson University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She earned a master’s degree in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2022.
As a senior relationship manager in MUSC’s Office of Strategic Partnerships, she is responsible for relationship development and ongoing management of key strategic partnerships. This includes event planning, project management and communication with national executive leaders who are members of the MUSC President’s Advisory Group. She has facilitated partnerships with K-12 schools through which MUSC provides mental and emotional well-being curricula and fosters educational opportunities and support for students.
King serves on the task force that works to improve the lives of MUSC’s 33,000 employees. She is MUSC’s liaison with its mental health partner, Modern Minds, ensuring that mental health resources are accessible and effective for those in need. She has played an instrumental role in piloting a subsidized care program through Modern Minds that is designed to support whole-person well-being for MUSC physicians. She was also a key driver of MUSC’s dependent care strategy.
The impact of King’s work is statewide. She has supported MUSC’s relationship with Helix, the population genomics company that oversees the “In Our DNA SC” program. This initiative provides free genetic testing to 100,000 South Carolinians, offering critical insights into health and well-being. Her ability to forge strong community relationships and manage impactful partnerships has made her a trusted and influential advocate for public health in South Carolina.
King is married to Benjamin King and comes from a family of Clemson graduates. Both of her parents and both of her brothers are alumni. She was involved in numerous leadership organizations, including Blue Key Honor Society, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and the Student Alumni Council.
Mallory Dailey Maher ’12, M ’15, M ’21
Master Naturalist Program Coordinator, Clemson University
Greenville, South Carolina
Mallory Maher has three Clemson University degrees. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in wildlife and fisheries biology in 2012 and 2021, respectively, and a master’s degree in agricultural education in 2015. After serving as an Oconee County 4-H agent for Clemson Extension from 2016 to 2023, she was named a natural resources Extension associate and coordinator of the statewide Master Naturalist Program. The program engages citizen volunteers through science-based training and place-based, experiential environmental education that teaches participants about the components of ecosystems and how to protect, preserve and restore biodiversity.
Maher has received numerous recognitions from the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals and the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. She has a South Carolina Honorary State Future Farmers of America Degree and won the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Young Alumni Award.
Much of her volunteer service involves planting pollinator gardens at local schools and other community spaces, installing bluebird nesting boxes at local parks and conducting litter pickup events. She works with schools in Oconee and Pickens counties to conduct stream quality assessments and teach youth about the effects of pollution and the importance of keeping local water bodies clean. She serves as the statewide Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP) committee chair and has helped train six national WHEP championship teams. She represents the Palmetto State and Clemson Extension on the National WHEP Committee, which conducts knowledge-based competitions for youth interested in wildlife management from across the country.
Maher is married to Michael Christopher Maher. She is a member of the Women’s Alumni Council and served as its social media chair in 2023–2024. She mentors student interns and regularly speaks to classes and organizations about career opportunities in the agriculture and natural resources fields.
Brittany Sanders-Bell ’20, M ’23
Assistant Director, Next Engineers Greenville, PEER and WISE
Clemson
Brittany Sanders-Bell has two Clemson University degrees and is working on a third. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering in 2020 and 2023, respectively, and expects to complete a doctorate in engineering and science education in 2027.
She is the assistant director of Next Engineers Greenville, a $5.5 million partnership between the GE Aerospace Foundation, GE Vernova and Clemson’s PEER and WISE program. The mission of PEER (Programs for Educational Enrichment and Retention) and WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) is to educate, recruit and retain students in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math through mentoring, academic coaching and academic enrichment.
Sanders-Bell oversees Next Engineers Greenville’s operations, logistics, reporting and relationships. She also facilitates quarterly meetings with colleagues in other Next Engineers global cities (Cincinnati, Ohio; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Staffordshire, United Kingdom) to share best practices, foster connections and discuss programming. Under her leadership, the first cohort of Next Engineers Greenville produced 49 graduates, many of whom enrolled at Clemson.
In her dual role as an assistant director for PEER and WISE, focusing on mentoring and supporting underrepresented students in STEM, she has been instrumental in guiding students from diverse backgrounds toward academic and professional success. Also, her experience as a working mother allows her to empathize with and support students balancing academic and personal challenges.
Sanders-Bell gives impromptu tours of Clemson’s campus to potential engineering students and their families and participates in outreach to local schools, encouraging students to pursue STEM careers and ensuring more diverse voices are represented in engineering fields. She is married to Derek Wayne Bell.
Aswathy Shailaja Ph.D. ’20
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Aswathy Shailaja of Durham, North Carolina, graduated from Clemson University in 2020 with a doctorate in plant and environmental sciences. In her native India, she earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and industrial microbiology from the University of Kerala and a master’s degree in genomic science from the Central University of Kerala.
She has conducted research at the Duke University School of Medicine since 2021, with a focus on preventing neonatal brain injury and inflammation. Her work has significant clinical relevance for improving outcomes in preterm infants with sepsis and other inflammation-induced neurodevelopmental impairments. Before joining Duke, she conducted similar research at Stony Brook University in New York.
Shailaja has received several prestigious awards, including the 2023 Young Investigator Award from Montana State University’s Center of Biofilm Engineering, the 2024 Duke University Preparing Future Faculty Fellowship and the Best Professional Development Committee Award from the Duke University Postdoctoral Association.
A first-generation college graduate and daughter of a single parent, Shailaja is an advocate and role model for high school and undergraduate students, particularly those interested in pursuing careers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. She mentors individual students and serves as a judge for state and regional science fairs, where she provides guidance to young scientists to help them sharpen their research skills and gain confidence in their academic pursuits.
In recognition of her leadership and involvement in the Indian American community, she was one of its representatives invited to attend the Indian prime minister’s state visit to the White House. For Clemson, she serves as secretary of the Triangle Clemson Club, where she helps organize events and fosters connections among alumni. Last fall, she was instrumental in the club’s efforts to collect supplies and support for the areas of western North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Danté Christian Stewart ’14
Minister and Writer
Augusta, Georgia
Danté Stewart graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Clemson University, where he played football for three years. He earned a master’s degree in modern religious thought and experience from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in 2023.
He is an associate minister at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia, and a widely published writer of works ranging from essays to poetry. His debut book, Shoutin’ in the Fire: An American Epistle, was published in 2021. He was the lead writer on an essay that evolved into an ESPN documentary highlighting the significance of football in a small Southern community. He has been published or featured by numerous outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, CNN, NPR and MSNBC.
In 2022, Stewart was named Georgia Writer of the Year by the Georgia Writers Association, one of 22 Faith Leaders to Watch in 2022 by the Center for American Progress and one of 10 Up-And-Coming Faith Influencers by the Religion News Service. He has delivered lectures and keynote addresses at literary conferences, public events and multiple universities. For Clemson, he has spoken to sociology classes and the PAW Journey Black History Month program.
As a volunteer, Stewart has taught creative writing to local high school juniors and seniors and coached high school football and track teams. Following Hurricane Helene last fall, he used his social media platform to bring awareness and aid to the Augusta area, prepared and delivered more than 250 meals for people without power and water, including 60 active-duty U.S. military service members, and he spearheaded the collection of more than 5,000 pounds of supplies for three local communities. Stewart and his wife, Jasmine, are the parents of a son and a daughter.
Kevin Mitchell Thomas ’13, M ’14
Senior Account Executive and Media Consultant, Audacy
Greenville, South Carolina
Kevin Thomas of Greenville, South Carolina, earned his Clemson University bachelor’s degree in management in 2013 and his Master of Business Administration in 2014.
In 2015, he joined the Greenville team of Audacy, a national multiplatform audio content and entertainment company. He helps clients accomplish their goals through creative marketing plans and strategies that involve radio, digital, event, streaming and other types of communication and advertising. He consistently ranks as one of Audacy’s top account executives, both locally in South Carolina’s largest radio market and nationally with the company’s digital platforms. He has received multiple Chairman’s Circle awards, most recently in 2024.
Thomas is also the founder of Movin’ the Chains, a digital media company that he started in 2018 to cover high school football across South Carolina. The company produces a weekly livestream preview show, a weekly recap digital podcast and on-site live coverage of at least one football game each week. With Thomas as its lead host, producer, social media manager, content creator, graphic designer, editor and point of contact, Movin’ the Chains has visited nearly 50 communities during the past seven years to highlight high school athletes, programs and neighborhoods in every corner of the Palmetto State.
In addition to his work with Movin’ the Chains, Thomas has supported his home community by helping to raise funds for crucial health care services by participating in numerous radiothons benefiting Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital.
For Clemson, Thomas has served on the Clemson Young Alumni Council for several years, including as its president. He is also a mentor with the Clemson Sales Innovation Program, through which he actively guides and supports students pursuing careers in sales. He has contributed to Clemson Athletics as a member of IPTAY since he was a student.
