Columbia attorney named to Clemson University board of trustees

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David E. Dukes, chairman of the executive committee of the Nelson Mullins law firm, will succeed Thomas B. McTeer, 75, who retired after more than 35 years of service as a trustee. Dukes’ appointment is effective immediately.

Staff Report
Published May 10, 2012

Columbia attorney and Clemson University alumnus David E. Dukes, chairman of the executive committee and former managing partner of South Carolina’s largest law firm, has been elected a trustee at his alma mater.

His appointment is effective immediately.

Dukes, 53, chairs the executive committee of Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP, a law firm with more than 450 lawyers and 1,000 employees. The firm has 13 offices from Florida to Massachusetts.

David E. Dukes, Clemson University trustee

“I am honored to have this opportunity to serve my alma mater. My education and experience at Clemson provided a solid foundation for me to pursue opportunities in the law and business world. I look forward to being able to give back to Clemson,” Dukes said.

Dukes will succeed Thomas B. McTeer, 75, of Columbia, who retired after more than 35 years of service as a trustee — making him one of the longest-serving trustees in Clemson history.

“It would be difficult to overstate what Tom McTeer’s service has meant to Clemson,” said former U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, chairman of the board. “His leadership, vision and keen business insights have made Clemson a better university. His more than three decades of service and commitment have provided stability and continuity. We look forward to his continued service as a trustee emeritus.”

McTeer, who graduated from Clemson in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial management, served one term as chairman of the board and served on the presidential selection committee that led to the appointment of current President James F. Barker.

Dukes has been an active Clemson student and alumnus, having previously served on the university’s board of visitors and the president’s advisory board. He is a supporter of IPTAY and the Clemson Fund.

Other leadership and service positions include membership on the boards of First Citizens Bank, the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Math Foundation, the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts Foundation, the Business Partnership Foundation of the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business and the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence.

Dukes also has served as past president of Washington, D.C.-based Lawyers for Civil Justice; past president of DRI, a 22,000-member national professional organization of lawyers who defend companies and individuals in civil litigation; and on the board of the Georgetown University Law Center Advisory Committee of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project in Washington, D.C.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in financial management from Clemson in 1981 and his law degree from the University of South Carolina Law School in 1984.