David Dukes named Clemson trustee
May 9, 2012
CLEMSON, SC – May 9, 2012 – Clemson University alumnus David E. Dukes, 53, of Columbia,chairman of the executive committee and former managing partner ofSouth Carolina’s largest law firm, has been selected to serve as atrustee at his alma mater. His appointment is effective immediately.
Dukes chairs the executive committee of Nelson Mullins Riley andScarborough LLP, one of the nation’s largest law firms with more than450 lawyers and 1,000 employees. The firm has 13 offices from Florida toMassachusetts.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to serve my alma mater. Myeducation and experience at Clemson provided a solid foundation for meto pursue opportunities in the law and business world. I look forward tobeing able to give back to Clemson,” said Dukes.
Dukes will succeed Thomas B. McTeer, 75, of Columbia, who retiredafter more than 35 years of service as a trustee — making him one of thelongest-serving trustees in Clemson history.
“It would be difficult to overstate what Tom McTeer’s service hasmeant to Clemson,” said former U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, chairmanof the board. “His leadership, vision and keen business insights havemade Clemson a better university. His more than three decades of serviceand commitment have provided stability and continuity. We look forwardto his continued service as a trustee emeritus.”
McTeer, who graduated from Clemson in 1960 with a bachelor’s degreein industrial management, served one term as chairman of the board andserved on the presidential selection committee that led to theappointment of current President James F. Barker. As a student, he wasvice president of the senior class, named to Tiger Brotherhood and BlueKey honor society, and was a member of the track and football teams.
“I feel extremely fortunate to have been a part of Clemson Universityfor over half my lifetime and am truly blessed to have had theopportunity to watch the significant progress that Clemson has made overthat time. Clemson University is an important part of my life and willcontinue to be for years to come,” said McTeer.
Like McTeer, Dukes has been an active and engaged Clemson student andalumnus, having previously served on the university’s Board of Visitorsand the President’s Advisory Board. He is a longtime supporter of IPTAYand the Clemson Fund.
Other leadership and service positions include membership on theboards of First Citizens Bank, the South Carolina Governor’s School forScience and Math Foundation, the South Carolina Governor’s School forthe Arts Foundation, the Business Partnership Foundation of theUniversity of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business and the NationalFoundation for Judicial Excellence.
Dukes also has served as past president of Washington D.C.-basedLawyers for Civil Justice; past president of DRI, a 22,000-membernational professional organization of lawyers who defend companies andindividuals in civil litigation; and on the board of the GeorgetownUniversity Law Center Advisory Committee of the Law Firm Pro BonoProject in Washington, D.C.
He earned his bachelor’s degree infinancial management from Clemson in 1981, where he served as presidentof the Interfraternity Council; on the Student Alumni Council; and wasnamed to Mortar Board, Blue Key honor society and Tiger Brotherhood. Heearned his law degree from the University of South Carolina Law Schoolin 1984.
His wife, Karen Royster Dukes, earned aBachelor of Arts in architecture from Clemson in 1982, and his oldestson, David Jr., is currently enrolled in Clemson’s Calhoun HonorsCollege, as a chemical engineering major. Two younger children, Bailey, ajunior, and Will, an eighth-grader, attend the Hammond School inColumbia.
