Clemson Executive Brett Dalton Accepts Leadership Position at Baylor University
Staff Report From South Carolina CEO
Wednesday, May 30th, 2018
After a distinguished Clemson career that spans nearly three decades, Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations Brett Dalton is leaving the university for a similar role at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. His last day at Clemson is June 30.
Dalton, who was named to his current position in November 2016, started his Clemson career in 1990. A Sunset, South Carolina, native who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Clemson, Dalton serves as the university’s chief financial officer and also heads Clemson’s facilities and capital projects operations. In those roles, he is responsible for leading the work on Clemson’s long-range financial and facilities planning, as well as overseeing a number of operational activities, including human resources, procurement, accounting and financial operations.
In accepting a position as Baylor’s chief business officer, Dalton said he felt a calling to continue his career at one of the country’s leading Christian universities. Baylor, a private university chartered in 1845 through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, is home to more than 17,000 students and is the oldest continuously operated university in Texas.
“Clemson has been a central part of my life, and that of my family, so the decision to leave did not come easily,” Dalton said. “After much thought and prayer, however, my wife and I felt that the opportunity to serve a great Christian university as I enter the final chapter of my career was simply too good to pass up.”
During his time at Clemson, Dalton has been instrumental in Clemson’s ascent to a top-25 public university. He led the implementation of transformational financial plans that helped the university weather the Great Recession a decade ago, and the subsequent sharp downturn in state funding, and emerge stronger than ever. Dalton also has overseen more than $800 million in capital projects at Clemson and helped lead the development of the ClemsonForward strategic plan that guides the university’s work today.
“Brett has left a lasting positive imprint on Clemson through his knowledge, hard work, integrity and deep commitment to our educational mission, and he will be missed,” said Clemson President Jim Clements. “Brett’s passion for Clemson and South Carolina are evident to anyone who knows him, but Baylor presents a unique opportunity for Brett to both serve his faith and to continue his exemplary work in higher education. Baylor is getting a great talent and a terrific teammate.”
For his part, Dalton said he feels “blessed” by the opportunities provided to him during his tenure at Clemson.
“Clemson has given me far more than I could ever give back to the university,” Dalton said. “As a member of the university’s leadership team under two outstanding presidents in Jim Barker and Jim Clements, I have been fortunate to work alongside some of the best colleagues possible. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve this great institution, and look forward to cheering on Clemson’s future successes.”
The university plans to launch a national search for Dalton’s successor, and President Clements said he will soon name interim leadership for the various teams within Dalton’s organization.