Clemson University’s IT Governance team has been named to the 2026 Wrike Elite 100, a recognition honoring organizations and professionals who demonstrate exceptional skill in using Wrike’s collaborative work management platform to improve efficiency, foster innovation and deliver meaningful results.
The recognition highlights the team’s work in developing and implementing CheckIT, Clemson’s technology governance process designed to streamline technology requests, strengthen collaboration across campus and ensure technology investments align with the University’s strategic priorities.
The Wrike Elite 100 recognizes 100 outstanding users and teams from organizations around the world that have demonstrated excellence in work management, collaboration and process improvement. The IT Governance team’s selection reflects their commitment to building a more transparent, consistent and efficient approach to technology governance.
“Being recognized as part of the Wrike Elite 100 is a tremendous honor and a reflection of our team’s dedication, collaboration, and commitment to excellence,” said Dustin Atkins, senior director of IT strategic operations. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished in such a short time launching this new IT Governance initiative and grateful to work alongside such a talented team.”
Transforming technology governance at Clemson
As technology continues to play an increasingly important role in teaching, research and University operations, Clemson recognized the need for a more coordinated approach to evaluating and managing technology investments.
The University’s IT governance policy and CheckIT process were established to help address that need by creating a centralized framework for reviewing technology requests before purchases or implementations move forward.
Through CheckIT, faculty and staff can submit technology requests for review, helping ensure proposed solutions are evaluated for factors such as cybersecurity, accessibility, compatibility with existing systems and alignment with institutional priorities. This process helps reduce unnecessary duplication, identify potential risks earlier and support more informed technology purchasing decisions across the University.
How CheckIT uses Wrike to streamline collaboration and improve visibility
A key component of CheckIT’s success is the team’s use of Wrike to support the technology governance workflow.
Wrike provides a centralized environment for coordinating requests, organizing reviews and tracking progress throughout the governance process. By bringing information and stakeholders into a shared platform, the team can improve visibility into the status of requests and support collaboration among the groups responsible for evaluating proposed technology solutions.
The platform also helps establish a more consistent process for managing requests, documenting decisions and identifying opportunities for continued improvement.
Since launching the initiative, the IT Governance team has continued refining CheckIT based on operational experience and feedback from campus partners. Updates to the process have focused on simplifying the request experience, improving workflow efficiency and making technology governance easier to navigate.
These improvements reflect the broader goal of ensuring governance serves as a collaborative resource that helps the Clemson community make informed technology decisions, rather than simply adding another administrative step.
Recognizing the team behind CheckIT
The Wrike Elite 100 recognition celebrates the collaborative efforts of the IT Governance team, including:
- Dustin Atkins, Senior Director, IT Strategic Operations
- Greg Carlton, Director, IT Governance
- Bobby Clark, Director, IT Solutions and Vendor Management
- Jon Clayton, Customer Success Manager, IT Governance
- Richard Baldwin, IT Vendor Management Analyst
Together, the team has helped establish the foundation for a new approach to technology governance at Clemson, connecting people, processes and technology to better support the University’s evolving needs.
Their work demonstrates how thoughtful process design and effective use of collaborative technology can create meaningful improvements in institutional operations.
