![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/files\/2026\/08\/Sandt-headshot-1.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nBeyond competition, Sandt is committed to serving others and developing as a leader. She serves on the Women’s Volleyball Team Culture and Leadership Committee and participates in the Tiger Leadership Academy and the POWER Women’s Leadership Academy, experiences that have strengthened her communication, collaboration and leadership skills. She also mentors younger athletes through the Athlete-to-Athlete mentoring program and volunteers at Clemson Athletics youth camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sandt said her interest in accounting was sparked in part by her brother, who works as an accountant at Deloitte, while her family’s strong volleyball background helped shape her athletic journey. After graduation, she plans to pursue Clemson’s Master of Professional Accountancy program while using her remaining year of NCAA eligibility to continue competing for the Tigers. Looking ahead, she hopes to combine her passion for teamwork, leadership and problem-solving into a successful career in public accounting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Katherine Sandt, an accountancy student from Chicago, Illinois, is a member of Clemson University’s women’s volleyball team. Expected to graduate in December 2026, she has built a Clemson experience defined by academic excellence, athletic commitment and leadership. Balancing the demands of Division I athletics with a rigorous accounting curriculum has required discipline and exceptional time management. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4311,"featured_media":166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9438],"tags":[],"coauthors":[42214],"class_list":["post-165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-spotlight"],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/files\/2026\/08\/Sandt-headshot-150x150.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4311"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions\/171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":172,"date":"2026-08-05T13:18:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/?p=172"},"modified":"2026-08-05T13:18:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:18:24","slug":"student-spotlight-james-reaves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/2026\/08\/05\/student-spotlight-james-reaves\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: James Reaves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
James Reaves, an accounting major from Florence, South Carolina, is also pursuing minors in management information systems and criminal justice. Expected to graduate in December 2027, he has made the most of his time at Clemson by combining academic excellence with leadership and service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Driven by a curiosity about how systems work beneath the surface, Reaves has intentionally sought experiences that connect learning with real-world application. He is a member of Clemson’s accounting departmental honors program and Beta Alpha Psi, demonstrating a commitment to professional growth and learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reaves has also earned recognition for leadership and service beyond the classroom. He is an Eagle Scout and a Congressional Award Gold Medal recipient, honors that reflect years of dedication and community involvement. For his Eagle Scout project, he organized a food drive with a local food bank and led volunteers in collecting more than 500 pounds of food. He also earned first place in the EY x Clemson Tax Policy Competition, where he and his teammates presented a tax policy recommendation to EY professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nOutside the classroom, Reaves has shared his passion for education through the Clemson University Learning Institute, serving as an instructor and counselor for Camp Voyager, Camp Adventure and C-CATS. He also participates in Cantorei, takes voice lessons and contributes to Clemson Players set construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reaves’ interest in accounting began through conversations with his father, a manufacturing controller. Those early discussions sparked an appreciation for the role accounting plays in business operations. After graduation, he plans to pursue a Master of Accountancy and earn CPA and CFE certifications as he prepares for a career in forensic accounting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
James Reaves, an accounting major from Florence, South Carolina, is also pursuing minors in management information systems and criminal justice. Expected to graduate in December 2027, he has made the most of his time at Clemson by combining academic excellence with leadership and service. Driven by a curiosity about how systems work beneath the surface, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4311,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9438],"tags":[],"coauthors":[42214],"class_list":["post-172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-student-spotlight"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4311"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions\/174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":178,"date":"2026-08-05T13:18:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/?p=178"},"modified":"2026-08-05T13:18:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:18:04","slug":"alumni-spotlight-evan-mathis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/2026\/08\/05\/alumni-spotlight-evan-mathis\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Spotlight: Evan Mathis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
For Evan Mathis, a career in accounting started with a love of numbers and a strong financial foundation at home. Growing up in Fort Mill, South Carolina, Mathis was surrounded by conversations about finance; his father worked as a financial advisor, while his mother was a CPA. When he arrived at Clemson, he knew he wanted a career involving numbers, but it was his first accounting course that solidified his path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, Mathis serves as president of Founders Federal Credit Union, one of the region’s largest and fastest-growing credit unions. Recently named president after serving as executive vice president and chief financial officer, his rise to executive leadership reflects technical expertise, communication skills and a willingness to embrace opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nDuring his time at Clemson, faculty mentorship helped shape his academic experience and career aspirations. Mathis credits professors including Suzy Pearse and Tom Dickens with making a lasting impact, not only through their teaching, but through the personal investment they made in students’ success. He also benefited from Clemson’s connections to the accounting profession, securing internships during his sophomore, junior and senior years that gave him valuable exposure and helped him identify his long-term interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of those early opportunities proved especially significant. After his sophomore year, Mathis interned at Founders Federal Credit Union under longtime CFO Tony Gilreath. Gilreath encouraged him to pursue his CPA license and begin his career in public accounting before eventually returning to industry. Mathis followed that advice, joining Elliott Davis after graduation and specializing in community bank audits within the firm’s Financial Services Group. Along the way, he was mentored by several Clemson alumni who helped open doors and deepen his understanding of the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2019 Mathis reconnected with Gilreath over lunch. That conversation led to an opportunity to return to Founders as a senior financial analyst, a decision Mathis now describes as one of the most important turning points of his career. Over the following years, he advanced through leadership roles in finance and accounting before being named president in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As president, Mathis works closely with the credit union’s leadership team and board of directors to guide organizational strategy and support nearly 300,000 members. He believes his accounting background continues to play a critical role in leadership and decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHaving an accounting background in the business world is a huge advantage,\u201d Mathis said. \u201cThe ability to understand strategic decisions and their impact on financial results is highly beneficial to an organization’s success.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mathis emphasizes communication as one of the most important skills for young professionals entering accounting and finance. Early in his career at Founders, mentors intentionally placed him in situations where he presented to leadership teams and boards of directors, experiences that strengthened his confidence and communication abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking ahead, Mathis is energized by the future of financial services, particularly the impact of technology and artificial intelligence on the banking industry. Under his leadership, Founders continues investing in digital innovation and branch expansion to meet members wherever they prefer to do business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside of work, Mathis remains active in his community through Mercy Church, the Anne Springs Close Greenway Board of Managers, the Levine Children\u2019s Hospital Board of Ambassadors and the Lancaster Breakfast Rotary Club. He also recently joined Clemson\u2019s advisory board. He and his wife, Lauren, his former Clemson accounting study partner, live in the Charlotte area with their two children, Drew and Annie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reflecting on his journey, Mathis says the most rewarding aspect of his career has been seeing the impact Founders has on the lives of its members and working alongside a team committed to service and growth. He remains deeply grateful for the education and foundation Clemson provided.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For Evan Mathis, a career in accounting started with a love of numbers and a strong financial foundation at home. Growing up in Fort Mill, South Carolina, Mathis was surrounded by conversations about finance; his father worked as a financial advisor, while his mother was a CPA. When he arrived at Clemson, he knew he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4311,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29629],"tags":[],"coauthors":[42214],"class_list":["post-178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni-spotlight"],"fimg_url":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4311"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":181,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178\/revisions\/181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":175,"date":"2026-08-05T13:17:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/?p=175"},"modified":"2026-08-05T13:17:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:17:57","slug":"alumni-spotlight-melanie-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.clemson.edu\/accountancy\/2026\/08\/05\/alumni-spotlight-melanie-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Spotlight: Melanie Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"