Clemson Names Wechter Interim Sandhill Center Director
Patrick Wechter will lead the Sandhill Research and Education Center on an interim basis starting November 1, 2026, while keeping his Charleston post.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in People
Clemson University has named Patrick Wechter interim director of the Sandhill Research and Education Center, effective November 1, 2026, succeeding Kathy Coleman, who had led the center since 2015. Wechter will continue as director of the Coastal Research and Education Center in Charleston.
Why it matters
The appointment is intended to provide continuity at Sandhill during the leadership transition. It places a plant pathologist with 18 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service over a center whose work spans specialty crops, forestry, wildlife habitat and cover crops across South Carolina.
Wechter brings 18 years as a research plant pathologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, while Sandhill, established in 1926, has been directed by Kathy Coleman since 2015. The announcement does not specify whether the interim arrangement will be extended or made permanent.
The players
Clemson University
A public land-grant research university in South Carolina whose Clemson Experiment Station oversees agricultural research centers across the state.
Patrick Wechter
A plant pathologist who spent 18 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service before joining Clemson's research centers.
Carlyle Brewster
Clemson's interim associate dean for research who also directs the Clemson Experiment Station, the university's statewide agricultural research system.
The details
Carlyle Brewster, interim associate dean for research and director of the Clemson Experiment Station, announced the appointment. Wechter holds master's and doctoral degrees in plant pathology from Clemson and will serve in both roles at once while leading Sandhill on an interim basis.
Timeline
2015: Kathy Coleman became director of the Sandhill Research and Education Center.
1926: The Sandhill center was established.
November 1, 2026: Wechter's interim directorship takes effect.
Leadership Continuity
The move follows Clemson's pattern of sharing senior research leaders across its Experiment Station centers, as Wechter keeps his Charleston directorship while taking on Sandhill. Such arrangements are typically used to bridge leadership gaps at regional agricultural research sites.
Residents who rely on Sandhill's programs in specialty crops, forestry and wildlife habitat may see continuity in services during the transition. Farmers and landowners in South Carolina can follow the center's work as its new interim leadership takes over.
The takeaway
Leadership transitions at research centers can affect the programs farmers and landowners depend on, so interim appointments like this one are designed to keep that work steady. Watch for any announcement on a permanent director as the November 2026 changeover approaches.
Further reading
Explore more South Carolina people news to follow leadership changes across the state's institutions.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Greenville Business Magazine.
