Rate My Professor Kris Frady

Kristin "Kris" Frady is an Associate Professor at Clemson University, jointly appointed in the Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development within the College of Education and the Department of Engineering and Science Education within the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. She received her Ed.D. in Educational Technology from the University of Florida in 2012, M.A.T. in Business Education from the University of South Carolina in 2007, and B.S. in Management with a minor in Elementary Education from Clemson University in 2003. Frady serves as the Founding Program Director of the Bachelor of Science in Human Capital Education and Development since 2019, where she established the program, led curriculum development and approvals, and fostered partnerships with industries, two-year institutions, and agencies. Previously, she was Faculty Director and Director of Operations for the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development and the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Center for Aviation & Automotive Technological Education using Virtual E-Schools (CA2VES) from 2019 to 2023, and held roles as Research Associate starting in 2012. Earlier in her career, she worked as a secondary teacher in Career and Technology Education at Eastside High School and as a corporate trainer at Blackbaud, Inc., and served as an adjunct instructor at Greenville Technical College.

Frady's research specializes in innovations in workforce development at educational and career transitions, two-year college and secondary STEM and career education, educational innovations, and the middle-skill workforce. She has been Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on multiple federal grants, including the NSF CAREER grant VECTORS in Engineering: Valuing Education and Career Transition Opportunities Raising Student Success ($599,944, 2022–2027), NSF RFE Developing Engineering Experiences and Pathways in Engineering Technology Career Formation ($274,879, 2018–2021), NSF ATE A Sustainable ATE Coordination Network for Enhancing Personalized Learning Using Virtual and Augmented Reality ($792,820, 2017–2022), and others contributing to over $13.6 million in funding. She led the creation of digital learning tools, including over 70 virtual reality modules, e-learning resources, and iBooks adopted by institutions across 23 states. Notable publications include the book Managing Technology and Middle-Skilled Employees: Advances for Economic Regeneration (2019), book chapters such as "Workforce Development: A Nexus Between Human Resource Development and Career and Technical Education" (2024), and peer-reviewed articles like "Use of Virtual Labs to Support Demand Engineering Technology and Vocational Education Training Programs: A Systematic Review of the Literature" (2022, European Journal of Engineering Education) and "Media Analysis of Middle Skill Learning Opportunities Shaped by COVID-19" (2021, New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development). Her contributions have earned awards including the Milliken Transformational Leadership Academy (2023), Clemson University College of Education Insight Award of Excellence (2023), Grant Fellow (2021), and conference best paper awards. Frady was granted tenure and promotion in 2025.