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(Female narrator) Kim Wilkerson.
Kim counts herself very lucky to have grown up in a loving home with two parents who told
her she could be anything she wanted to be.
(Kim Wilkerson) My dad taught me about the value of an education,
doing your best, working hard, and my mom taught me about compassion, as I watched her
help needy children, and teach adults how to read.
(Narrator) The result is a confident and gracious Clemson
tiger, with a servant’s heart, who has accomplished much and served countless others throughout
her life.
When Kim was just eight years old, her parents, HL and Nancy Allen, moved their family, including
Kim, her younger brother Wade and little sister Leslie, from their home state of Tennessee
to Cayce, SC, and Cayce has remained Kim’s home to this day.
She treasures her memories of growing up, whether she was hanging out with her family
and friends, or on a Girl Scout outing. She still laughs about one particular Scout camping
trip that she’s never quite lived down.
(Kim Wilkerson) I got up in the middle of the night, attempting
to find the bathroom in the dark, and I tripped the lead wire to my Girl Scout leader’s
tent. The tent collapsed on her, and she woke up the next morning with a black eye! And
all throughout my adult life, we went to church together, when I was an adult, and she would
always tell people that Kim gave her a black eye, as she was my Girl Scout leader.
(Narrator) As Kim’s passion for education and heart
for service blossomed in high school, she became very active in student government.
But she also found time for cheerleading, serving as head cheerleader her senior year.
Upon graduation, she headed to Clemson to become an engineer, like her dad, and to be
reasonably close to Newberry College, where a long-time friend and new boyfriend, Avery
Bland Wilkerson, Jr., was attending school.
Clemson was everything she hoped it would be, and more. But after spending her freshman
year in the library, studying 24/7, she changed her major to financial management. Kim loved
campus life, participating in the Finance Club, and forging lifelong friendships as
a Tri Delta, and Alpha Tau Big and Little Sister.
(Kim Wilkerson) The best memories I have at Clemson are around
my friends, and they always say that your lifelong friends are the friends you meet
in college. And I have found that to be absolutely true. I have a group of friends where we still
get together, we are so very connected, we can almost feel when one of us needs the other,
and it is really great to maintain that connection with college friends across the span of a
life.
(Narrator) As graduation approached, Kim began interviewing
for accounting positions, until one of her professors gave her some wise counsel.
(Kim Wilkerson) Dr. Perry Woodside came to me, and sat me
down, and he said to me, “Kim, you are just not a green eye shade kind of a person. Have
you ever thought about banking?” And I said, “No, I really have not ever thought about
banking.” And he said, “Well, there are two banks coming on campus to interview next
week. I want you to interview with both of them.” So I did, and I have now had a 30
year career in banking because of the advice I received from an incredible professor who
took the time to spend time with a student and help direct their path.
(Narrator) Kim graduated from Clemson in May of 1980
with a BS in financial management, and began her career in banking on June 2. Her first
day at work, and every day since, she has been based in Columbia, right near her home
in Cayce.
Oh, and after dating all through college, Kim and Avery were married in February of
1981. Avery and Kim are proud of their two sons, Avery Bland III, and Allen. And their
son Avery and his wife Katie have blessed the family with a fourth generation Avery
Bland Wilkerson. This precious toddler loves to hear the Tiger Rag, and he can already
spell Clemson.
Kim was one of only a few women in banking in the early 1980s, and she is grateful for
her bank’s open and progressive culture that provided a wide range of training and
opportunities to help her grow her career to its fullest potential. She was the second
female commercial lender the bank ever had. In 2004, she became South Carolina president
for Bank of America, providing business, civic, and philanthropic leadership across the state.
And just recently, Kim accepted an additional national leadership role at the bank, as their
local market delivery executive.
(Kim Wilkerson) I really value the ability to work with people
across all lines, be able to work externally with community leaders, to help make South
Carolina a better place for all of us to live.
(Narrator) Indeed, she has. Leading a team is responsible
for the bank’s philanthropic investments in the state, Kim enjoys making a difference
in the communities they serve. She also personally gives her time and talents, serving on numerous
advisory boards and community organizations. Kim continues to support the overall advancement
of education in South Carolina. Most recently, she championed the College of Business and
Behavioral Science’s vision of opening Clemson at The Falls in downtown Greenville, housing
graduate and community outreach programs.
(Kim Wilkerson) Clemson at The Falls is a very exciting thing
for us as a University, and it really plays so well to our history. When you think about
Thomas Green Clemson and Anna Calhoun Clemson, and their vision for Clemson University, to
establish an institution of higher learning, committed to citizens in the state of South
Carolina for educational prosperity and economic growth, Clemson at The Falls is just an extension
of that many years later.
(Narrator) A Clemson supporter throughout her life, Kim
was recently appointed as a lifelong trustee on Clemson’s Board of Trustees, effective
July 2011, making her the first woman to service as a life trustee on this Board. She is also
currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Clemson University Foundation. Kim
has also served on the University’s Board of Visitors. She is a member of IPTAY, Clemson
Second Century Luncheon Club in Columbia, and has been recognized as a distinguished
alumna by the College of Business and Behavioral Science.
(Kim Wilkerson) I don’t think as a student that I had the
awareness that there were people who cared greatly for this University, who were volunteering
their time, their resources, to make Clemson the place that it is today. So for me, it’s
incredibly special to be able to return that favor to all of the alumni who have gone before
us to make Clemson a better place to be.
(Narrator) A love for people. A heart for service. A
mind for excellence. A joy for life. Kim’s servant heart continues to impact so many
lives in South Carolina, especially at Clemson. Dedicated to making a difference for Clemson
students today, and those not yet born, Kim’s life philosophy is reflected in this advice
that she received from an early mentor:
(Kim Wilkerson) “Lift as you climb. Love what you do. And
always give back to make the community you live in a better place to be.”