Distinguished Alumni

Dr. Brenda J. Thames (Bachelor of Science in Home Economics 1976) has a long and productive career in higher education and health care.

After MSU, she earned her master's and doctorate from Clemson University. She spent 31 years in higher education, transitioning to health care in 2007, when she became senior executive leader for the academic enterprise of the largest health system in South Carolina. She built partnerships with numerous academic institutions, which led to the development and launch of medical and nursing schools on the campus of Prisma Health—a private, nonprofit health company in South Carolina.

She led strategic academic programs to grow and train a vibrant health care workforce. Under her leadership, the program grew to more than 8,000 learners, 683 graduate medical education positions, and more than $50 million in research funding. She also founded the Medical Experience (MedEx) Academy focused on introducing young people to health care careers. In 2023, the Brenda J. Thames Prisma Health MedEx Academy Endowment was established.

In 2022, she was awarded the Order of the Palmetto—South Carolina's highest civilian honor. Thames retired as Prisma Health Chief Academic Executive Officer in July 2023.

She is married to Charles Thames (a 1976 MSU engineering graduate). They reside in Braselton, Georgia, and have two married daughters and four grandchildren.