Clemson University alumna Emily Watrous will join her alma mater as chief human resources officer, effective March 5. In this position, she also will serve as a member of the university’s executive leadership team.

Watrous will lead the Office of Human Resources, which includes 10 directors and an additional 50 personnel providing operational support of the university’s talent acquisition, classification and compensation, benefits, learning and performance, employee relations, HR information technology, customer service, data center, records management, and international employment.

“I’m honored to be returning to Clemson where my professional development began more than 25 years ago, and to get the opportunity to partner with the faculty, staff, and leadership team through this role in Human Resources,” Watrous said, “I look forward to being part of this great university and supporting the many talented people who have made it one of the best public universities in the country. My goal is for our team to support Clemson in achieving its strategic objectives in support of the ClemsonForward plan.”

Watrous has more than 21 years of experience in human resources, change management, and talent development. In her career, she has gained experience in workforce planning for strategic growth, employee engagement, retention strategies, negotiation and selection of health benefits plans, total rewards strategy and payroll, talent development and succession planning, performance management, policy and procedures, and compliance. She also has experience in coaching and advising global leaders on human-capital-related matters.

Prior to joining Clemson, she was the chief human resources officer for Southern First Bank. She also worked at Fluor Corporation and Bank of America in a variety of key human resources roles.