The accomplished college administrator will join the Elon community in February with a background in strategic oversight, program development, and change management across the employee lifecycle at Wake Forest University.
An administrator and executive coach skilled in building relationships and fostering collaboration has been named Elon University’s next associate vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer.
Melissa Clodfelter, currently the assistant vice president for faculty & staff experience at Wake Forest University, begins her new role on Feb. 26, 2025, following a national search.
As chief human resources officer, Clodfelter will provide comprehensive oversight for all operations within the Office of Human Resources, including the development and management of effective strategies for attracting, recruiting, and hiring top talent to meet the university’s needs in pursuit of goals outlined in the Boldly Elon strategic plan.
Clodfelter will oversee onboarding processes, employee benefits programs, management of human resources information systems, and wage and salary administration. She will also provide guidance and assistance as needed for employee relations issues, ensure compliance with Title IX regulations, and lead and support inclusive excellence initiatives, among other responsibilities that will include a role on the university’s senior staff starting in August.
Elon University’s Office of Human Resources includes 23 professionals and manages human resources operations for more than 1,600 university employees. Clodfelter joins Elon during a period of significant investment in the university’s faculty and staff, highlighted by initiatives such as Navigate Your Career, the establishment of Elon’s childcare center, and the revitalization of the Office of Leadership & Professional Development.
“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Clodfelter to Elon University,” said Janet Williams, the university’s vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer. “Melissa stood out because of her impressive experience and her ability to negotiate complex situations and relationships to build trust and initiate change, which aligns perfectly with Elon’s culture. She is an excellent person to fill this vital role.”
Melissa stood out because of her impressive experience and her ability to negotiate complex situations and relationships to build trust and initiate change, which aligns perfectly with Elon’s culture.
– Janet Williams, Vice President for Finance and Administration and CFO
Clodfelter has called Wake Forest University home since 2001 when she started work in higher education following a career in hospice chaplaincy.
Success in her earliest roles with students in Wake’s School of Divinity quickly led to opportunities for recruitment and professional development programming through the Office of Human Resources and, by 2019, leadership responsibilities as an assistant vice president overseeing campus engagement and employee relations.
Among the responsibilities in her current role, Clodfelter has:
- Provided strategic oversight, program development, and change management to four functions across the employee lifecycle including learning & development, employee relations, recruiting, and employment solutions resulting in building a stronger, more proactive bridge between Human Resources and the academic enterprise
- Served as coach and strategist with university leadership around issues of organizational change, organizational structure, and employee relations
- Co-chaired the Student Information System Steering Committee and developed the Office of Institutional Equity where she served as interim executive director pending the successful outcome of a search for the office’s first leader
- Co-chaired a working group established to create policy and procedures on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation and craft recommendations for the Office of Human Resources
- Crafted and implemented a series of conversations between HR team members and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion’s “Realizing Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity” framework to forward a goal of transparency, development, and inclusion within the Human Resources team
- Initiated and implemented a pilot program with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity and the Office of the Provost to support 17 faculty in research discipline and endeavors
“I have a deep love of higher education and an appreciation for the significant work that faculty and staff do in the formation, support, and education of our next generation of leaders,” Clodfelter said. “It’s such an honor to get to stand close to those who are student-facing to support them by securing the resources they need to thrive in their teaching and mentoring of young people.”
Clodfelter earned a Bachelor of Arts from Gardner-Webb University, a Master of Arts from Southeastern Seminary, and a Doctor of Philosophy in educational leadership and cultural foundations from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Before entering higher education, she served as a hospice chaplain, bereavement counselor, and volunteer coordinator for StaffBuilders Home Health and Hospice in Louisburg, North Carolina.
Clodfelter succeeds Kelli Shuman, who had served Elon for more than five years before joining the administration of Carnegie Mellon University in August as associate vice president and chief human resources officer.
About Elon University
Elon University is a nationally recognized leader in engaged, experiential learning that prepares graduates to be creative, resilient, ambitious and ethical citizens of our global culture.
At Elon, more than 7,000 students learn through hands-on experiences and close working relationships with faculty and staff whose priorities are teaching and mentoring. The curriculum is grounded in the liberal arts and sciences with emphasis on global experiences and career development. More than 70 undergraduate majors are complemented by professional and graduate programs in law, business, education and health care. Elon is ranked No. 1 for excellence in undergraduate teaching by U.S. News & World Report.
Elon’s academic divisions include Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business; the School of Communications; the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education; the School of Health Sciences; and the School of Law, with programs in Greensboro and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Search Committee for the Associate Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer
- Janet Williams, Vice President for Finance and Administration and CFO, co-chair
- Chris Leupold, Professor of Psychology and Faculty Athletics Representative, co-chair
- Owen Covington, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications and Media Relations
- Allie Duffney, Dean of Graduate Admissions
- Kelly Elliston, Executive Assistant to the President
- Emily Krechel, Director of New Student Programs
- Laké Laosebikan-Buggs, Director of Inclusive Excellence for Graduate and Professional Education
- Margaret Laws, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Finance and Operations / Chief Financial Officer
- Jozi Snowberger, Assistant Vice President for University Advancement – Parent Engagement
- Jackie Riffle, Academic Affairs Chief of Staff
- Christopher Waters, Associate Vice President of Information Technology and CIO