The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

Diane Smathers
Ed.D.
Society President
Clemson University
dsmthrs@clemson.edu

Dr. Diane G. Smathers is associate vice provost and director of the Emeritus College and a professor of family and youth development at Clemson University. She is responsible for the development, operation, and management of the university’s Emeritus College and works closely with Clemson’s 700+ retired faculty, ensuring their continued involvement with the university.

Currently serving as president of the 2012-2014 national board of directors, Smathers was inducted into the Society in 1980 at the University of Georgia and has been a member of Phi Kappa Phi’s board since 2007, serving a 3-year term as vice president and 2-year term as president-elect. Prior to serving on the board, Smathers served as a member of the Membership Opportunities Committee and is the author of a Phi Kappa Phi White Paper, Phi Kappa Phi and the Distance Learner.

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“I am extremely pleased and honored to serve as the 29th president of the Society,” said Smathers. “I look forward to working with the new board of directors, which is the most diverse board in our history, as we undertake a strategic planning ‘pause.’ My goal is to position Phi Kappa Phi to be an influencing factor not only in higher education, but in society in general.”

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Smathers received her bachelor's degree in home economics, magna cum laude, from the University of Kentucky and her master’s degree in home economics, also from Kentucky. She received her Ed.D. from the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, as well as a graduate certificate in gerontology.