The Clemson University 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/or 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.
Brandon Boatwright ’10, M ’13, M ’24
Director of Social Media Listening Center, Clemson University
Central, South Carolina
Brandon Boatwright has two Clemson University degrees: a 2010 Bachelor of Arts in communication studies and a 2013 Master of Arts in communication, technology and society. After earning a doctorate in communication and information sciences from the University of Tennessee in 2020, he rejoined Clemson as an assistant professor of sports communication and director of the Social Media Listening Center.
As an assistant professor at Clemson, Boatwright teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students. His role also includes conducting and publishing research on a range of topics related to online opinion leadership, internet and social media use, and social advocacy and activism. For the SMLC, he coordinates operations, manages intern teams and fosters collaborative relationships with corporate partners.
Boatwright’s numerous professional, campus and community activities include participation in regional, national and international communication conferences and associations; current or former service on the University’s Emergency Management Council and Athletic Council; and service on the board of directors for Clemson Wesley. He also directs service-learning projects devoted to helping local nonprofit organizations.
Boatwright’s interest in sports communication stretches back to his undergraduate days when he was a sports writer and editor for The Tiger newspaper. His wife, Megan, is associate director of the University’s Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center, and both of his parents graduated from Clemson: his father, Frank, in 1977 and his mother, Susan, in 1980.
Jesica Lyn Galloway ’16
Project Engineer, Holder Construction
Powder Springs, Georgia
Jesica Galloway keeps her promises.
After earning a Bachelor of Science in construction science and management from Clemson University in 2016, she joined Skanska USA Building Inc. and worked on major projects in the Atlanta area, such as the Concourse T expansion at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters in Sandy Springs. She moved to Holder Construction Group in 2019 as a preconstruction engineer assigned to projects in states ranging from Georgia and Florida to Colorado and Arizona.
In 2021, Galloway was named Holder’s operations senior engineer for the expansion and renovation of Daniel Hall in the heart of the Clemson campus. The project included building an addition to the existing structure and then renovating the original 60-year-old edifice while classes were being held in the new facility next door.
As an undergraduate, Galloway led a group called Clemson University Construction Women. Today, she is a member of the Women in Construction Forum, an association of women professionals involved in residential and commercial construction in Upstate South Carolina. The forum promotes increasing the number of women in the construction industry. She also volunteers with various STEM programs designed to inspire more students to pursue careers in fields related to science, technology, engineering and math.
While growing up in the nearby city of Walhalla, South Carolina, Galloway told her father that she would not only attend Clemson as a student but also build something there someday. Promise kept.
Rashard Hall ’11, M ’16, M ’24
Director of Career and Professional Development, Clemson Football
Clemson
Rashard Hall has two Clemson University degrees and is working on a third. The St. Augustine, Florida, native graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in marketing and earned a dual master’s degree in professional communications and business administration in 2016. He is nearing completion of an MBA degree in entrepreneurship and innovation.
An All-American safety for the Tigers, Hall joined the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams in 2013. After the NFL, he worked with Johnson & Johnson’s orthopedic medical sales division for two years before accepting a graduate assistant role with Clemson’s athletic academic center and becoming a certified academic advisor. In 2016, he entered the corporate finance industry with Merrill Lynch.
In 2018, he joined the Clemson Football program’s P.A.W. (Passionate About Winning) Journey leadership initiative as director of career and professional development, combining his athletic and corporate experiences. He has become an industry leader in career and development programming worldwide while achieving a 100 percent career placement rate for 143 Clemson Football scholar-athletes over five consecutive years. Hall serves on boards for the NFL and Clemson’s MBA program, leads two nonprofits, is co-founder of The Bryan Askew Clemson Memorial Scholarship, and teaches sports entrepreneurship for Clemson’s Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. He also has authored The Scholar-AthELITE, a book that encourages college athletes to dream bigger and become the leaders they were born to be.
Stephanie M. Madison, Ph.D. ’20
Teacher Learning Progression Project Manager, Clemson University
Clemson
Stephanie Madison manages one of the largest grants ever received by Clemson University’s College of Education. The $3 million initiative aims to improve teacher effectiveness in STEM disciplines.
Madison earned a doctorate in literacy, language and culture from Clemson in 2020. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, with K-12 teaching licensure, from the College of Charleston and a master’s in Romance languages with Spanish concentration from Appalachian State University.
As manager for Clemson University’s Teacher Learning Progression grant, she is responsible for the project’s day-to-day operations that include 19 South Carolina school districts and nearly 300 teachers in high-needs middle schools. She also teaches a variety of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral courses.
Madison developed a modern language teaching program, leading to South Carolina teacher certification, that is the first in the state to incorporate American Sign Language teacher training so that ASL can be offered as a foreign language in K-12 schools.
Madison is co-founder of Education Ilimitada, a nonprofit coalition committed to providing educational resources and humanitarian assistance to children and families seeking asylum and refuge in the United States. She is a board member of the South Carolina Foreign Language Teachers’ Association and former state chapter president of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.
She is a frequent guest speaker and panelist for campus and community groups, ranging from undergraduate classes to retired faculty.
Emily McGee M ’16
Architect and Health Care Designer, HOK
Washington, D.C.
Emily McGee is an architect and health care designer with HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm in Washington, D.C.
She earned a master’s degree in architecture plus health from Clemson University as a member of the class of 2016 and bachelor’s degrees in architecture and fine arts from Ball State University in 2011. She is pursuing a master’s degree in public health at Johns Hopkins University, where she was awarded the prestigious Bloomberg Fellowship.
While at Clemson, McGee received the Global Health Corps Fellowship to serve in East Africa for 18 months, where she helped elevate Rwanda’s health care infrastructure standards. Her work with Clemson took her to Haiti during the fall of 2018 to advise a group of architecture and engineering students assigned to conduct a feasibility study for a surgical suite renovation and design.
Since joining HOK, she has worked on health care facilities serving vulnerable and underserved U.S. communities. She led the design of the first community hospital built in the District of Columbia in more than 25 years and helped plan a vision and rehabilitation center combining research, laboratory and clinical spaces to serve low-vision and rehab patients in Pittsburgh.
McGee co-leads HOK IMPACT, the firm’s social responsibility arm that provides pro-bono projects and services. She volunteers for the annual Building Industry Association Community Improvement Day to enhance and raise funds for parks, recreational spaces and facilities for residents. She regularly lectures at the University of Maryland and is involved with graduate studios at Howard University and Clemson.
She also volunteers each summer as an architectural surveyor across various archaeological sites in Turkey, a job she began as an undergraduate student.
Brittany Avin McKelvey ’15
Director of Regulatory Affairs, Friends of Cancer Research
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Brittany Avin McKelvey directs regulatory affairs for Friends of Cancer Research, an advocacy organization that seeks to speed up lifesaving research for patients with cancer.
After completing bachelor’s degrees in both genetics and biochemistry from Clemson University in 2015, she earned a doctorate in molecular biology and genetics in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology program in 2020.
A childhood cancer survivor, McKelvey is a peer volunteer for the Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association. She formed a support group within the association to help teenagers who are diagnosed with thyroid cancer, as she was at age 13. She is active in the National Cancer Institute as a member of its Council of Research Advocates and the Technology Research Advocacy Partnership. She has spoken as a patient research advocate in settings ranging from local radio shows to Capitol Hill.
In the Fayetteville community, she volunteers at the U.S. Airborne and Special Operations Museum and with United States Organizations in support of the military community. Her husband is an active-duty service member.
While at Clemson, McKelvey was named a Goldwater Scholar, considered the most prestigious national scholarship award for undergraduates in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. She received the Norris Medal as the best-all-around graduating senior in 2015.
McKelvey returns to campus often to discuss her career path in science with both undergraduates and graduate students. She also volunteers with the National Scholars program and the Honors College, both of which she participated in as a student.
Justin Olshavsky ’16
General Partner, Pioneer Bio-Health Fund
Alameda, California
Justin Olshavsky is a pioneer and entrepreneur in biomedical technology. After earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Clemson University in 2016, he completed a dual master’s program in bioengineering and translational medicine offered jointly by two University of California institutions, Berkeley and San Francisco.
While in graduate school, Olshavsky co-founded Voyage Biomedical, a company that developed a novel therapeutic system to limit brain damage in stroke victims. The invention led to patents and awards for product design and medical innovation and to Voyage Biomedical’s acquisition by Penumbra, a global health care company. Olshavsky now heads the Pioneer Bio-Health Fund, which he co-founded to lead investments in early-stage biotechnology, health care and life science companies.
While at Clemson, Olshavsky participated in outreach programs focusing on developing countries and South Carolina communities. As part of the Engineers for Developing Countries program, he worked on a team supporting solar energy generation in Haiti. Through the EMAGINE Engineering program, he visited local middle and high schools to introduce students to the opportunities in science and engineering.
Olshavsky mentors aspiring entrepreneurs, including Clemson bioengineering students, and is a frequent guest lecturer on entrepreneurship topics. He is also a mentor for Clemson’s Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Brook T. Smith Launchpad, the University’s entrepreneurial hub under the auspices of the president’s office.
The young alumnus is an active member of the Northern California Clemson Club and helps to plan and manage football game watch parties in his area.
Nikhil Punneri Madathil M ’18
Staff Engineer, Industrial Solutions, Kohler Company
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Nikhil Punneri Madathil is having a turbocharged career.
Madathil earned a master’s degree in automotive engineering from Clemson University in 2018 after completing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at SASTRA University in India in 2013. He will begin his MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University this summer.
After graduating from Clemson, Madathil joined Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where he designed, developed and tested the automotive industry’s first cylinder head integrated turbocharger. The innovation, which has the potential to save up to $200 per engine, has resulted in multiple patents in the United States and the European Union.
In 2020, Madathil transitioned to XENEX Disinfection Services in San Antonio and helped design and develop systems for next-generation robotic disinfection solutions, including the only FDA-authorized microbial reduction medical device for health care facilities. In 2023, he became a staff engineer for design and development of industrial generators for the energy division of Kohler Company in Kohler, Wisconsin.
While in Michigan, Madathil collaborated with the nonprofit Detroit Malayalee Association to support local residents affected by COVID-19 and victims of devastating floods in southern India. His nonprofit service continued in Texas as president of the San Antonio United Malayalee Association and co-secretary of the India Association.
As a graduate student, Madathil was president of the CU-ICAR Student Association and chairman and vice president of the Graduate Student Government – Greenville Council. He was named Graduate Student Leader of the Year in 2018 and was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society. He was recently presented with the Automotive Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award.
Wesley Michael Watt ’13
Director, Scientific Research Corporation
Charleston, South Carolina
Wes Watt shares his passion for helping others wherever his career takes him.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in business administration from Clemson University in 2013, Watt worked for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and then the American Legislative Exchange Council. In 2015, he joined Scientific Research Corporation, the family enterprise founded by his grandfather.
SRC is an advanced engineering company providing state-of-the-art solutions in defense, federal, global, and cyber and intelligence markets. Increasing SRC responsibilities have taken Watt to Washington, D.C.; Huntsville, Alabama; and now Charleston, South Carolina, where he is director for radio communications, virtual and augmented training, and business application implementation for military customers.
He was a children’s ministry volunteer for Alexandria (Virginia) Presbyterian Church and currently volunteers with Metanoia, a neighborhood nonprofit fostering youth leadership, affordable housing and economic development in North Charleston. He is a graduate of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Discovery program.
Watt also volunteers for Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Georgia, which he attended as a child. He was the founding president of its alumni association and served on the capital campaign and strategic planning committees, and he mentors students in the goLEAD leadership development program.
For Clemson, Watt was active with the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., and North Alabama Clemson clubs and is on the board of the Charleston County Clemson Club and Clemson in the Lowcountry. He is a member and the founding president of the Political Science Alumni Board and serves on the Friends of the Libraries Board. He is a former president and current member of the Clemson Young Alumni Council.
Joseph “Joey” Ross Wilson III ’17
Project Manager, Porsche Consulting
Munich, Germany
Joey Wilson is a professional consultant for the global health and life sciences industries.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from Clemson University in 2017, Wilson completed a master’s degree in global affairs in 2018 as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. In 2020, he earned a master’s degree in medical science (oncology) from St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, where he was a Cambridge International Scholar.
Wilson is currently a senior expert and project manager in life sciences for Porsche Consulting, mainly advising large pharmaceutical and medical technology companies on operational and commercial strategies. He previously worked in the same field for the international firm EY-Parthenon.
An active volunteer, Wilson’s outreach includes leading the Munich hub of the Global Shapers Community, a World Economic Forum youth initiative. The hub has helped refugees improve their skills and find jobs, educated the community on mental health and climate change, and supported Ukraine by raising donations and sending medical aid.
As a bioengineering research assistant to Clemson Professor Delphine Dean, Wilson developed a medical device for detecting and diagnosing breast cancer, which received a United States patent in 2022. He also established the It’s On Us campaign in 2014 and was undergraduate student body president from 2016–17.
For Clemson today, Wilson is a speaker and subject-matter specialist for German classes, mentoring students and helping faculty members plan student study abroad experiences in Germany. He stays engaged with the bioengineering department, and as an Honors College alumnus, he helps current students prepare for interviews for major scholarships and fellowships.
