Leslie Dunlap Callison ’81

The Clemson University Alumni Association will present Leslie Dunlap Callison of Lexington with the 2016 Distinguished Service Award, the association’s highest honor.

“I am extremely proud to honor Leslie Callison with the Distinguished Service Award,” said Clemson President James P. Clements. “She has done so much to support Clemson, and I am truly grateful for her contributions. Her personal accomplishments serve as a wonderful model for our current and future students.”Callison graduated Clemson in 1981 with a bachelor’s in Administrative Management and went on to receive a Masters of Business Administration from the Unviersity of South Carolina in 1985. She has worked in the banking and pharmaceutical industries, and has contributed her time and talents to organizations in her hometown and at Clemson University.

Callison has dedicated much of her life to serving her beloved alma mater. She was president of the Alumni Association from 2008-2010, and served on the University Foundation Board of Directors, IPTAY Board of Directors, and the Women’s Alumni Council Board of Directors. Callison and her father, R. Thornwell Dunlap Jr, are the first father and daughter to serve as the Clemson Alumni Association President and to receive the Distinguished Service Award.

Callison spreads her generous spirit outside of Clemson to the great benefit of her community. She has served as a member of the founding Board of Directors of Columbia’s EdVenture Children’s Museum, treasurer of Junior League of Columbia’s Holiday Market, and Deacon at Saxa Gotha Presbyterian Church. She was also extensively involved in her children’s schools and activities, winning “Volunteer of the Year” in the Lexington School Sytem. Most recently, Leslie has worked as a community technology adviser for the nonprofit group Connect South Carolina.

“The Distinguished Service Award was created to honor the dedication and service of Clemson graduates to their alma mater, their community, and their profession; i.e., this special award was created to honor Leslie Callison,” Clemson president emeritus James F. Barker wrote in his letter supporting her nomination for the award. “Clemson University would not be having the success, progress and impact we are having without her insight and energy.”

Callison lives in Lexington with her husband, Scott. Together, they were awarded the Clemson Parents’ Council Chair Award, Parent Volunteers of the Year in 2010. They have two children who are also Clemson graduates –Reel ’12 and Caroline Lambert ’10.