Leadership Team

Teresa Burns, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Academic Programs
Singleton Building 121  |  843-349-2225  |  tburns@coastal.edu

Teresa Burns, Ph. D., joined the Coastal Carolina University faculty in 1998. Prior to associate provost, Burns served as an associate dean in the Gupta College of Science, as director of the core curriculum, and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics, and has taught both lower and upper-division physics courses since her arrival.

Burns earned her BA in Physics from New York University, and her Ph.D. in physics from Utah State University. She held post-doctoral positions at the Universitaet des Saarlandes, in Saarbruecken, Germany, and at Oregon State University.  Her research interests are in the scholarship of teaching and learning, and in the thermodynamics of two-dimensional systems, focusing on orientationally-ordered phase transitions in dipolar systems. She spearheaded with colleagues active-engagement pedagogies which have been in use in the department of physics for almost two decades. More recent work has focused on scientific reasoning skills for non-science majors  She serves her discipline through program review visits at other institutions, proposal and article reviews for national granting and publishing agencies, and by acting as an outside assessor for national grants. She has also led several international study-abroad programs and mentored many students in undergraduate research.

Amanda Craddock, Vice President for Enrollment Management
Baxley 218A  |  843-349-2979  |  acraddoc@coastal.edu

Amanda Craddock has been with Coastal Carolina University since 2008 when she started as the director of enrollment events, supervising recruitment events and new student orientation. She served as the director of admissions from 2010 to 2015. Prior to coming to the university, she spent nine years in Virginia working in college admissions. Currently, she is the vice president for enrollment management.

Craddock is an active member of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC) where she was a member of the Dry Run faculty for new admissions professionals. She served as the vice-president for admissions and enrollment management for the Virginia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (VACRAO) and was named the Distinguished Young Professional for her service. She has presented at numerous admissions and enrollment conferences throughout her career.

Craddock graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from Mary Washington College and earned a Master of Education in supervision and leadership from the University of Virginia. She earned a doctorate of education in organizational leadership from Abilene Christian University. Her areas of academic interest are enrollment management and student success, which were the focus of her dissertation Noncognitive Attributes as a Measure for College Admissions: Exploring the Relationship Between Cognitive and Noncognitive Factors in First-Year College Student Success.

Melvin Davis, University Librarian
Kimbel Library 114 | 843-349-2401 | mdavis10@coastal.edu

Melvin Davis, Ph.D., joined Coastal Carolina University in September 2017 as the university librarian.

Prior to Coastal Carolina University, he served as dean of library and educational technology services at the University of North Alabama for seven years. In this capacity, he oversaw the operations of the library and services in educational technologies such as Quality Matters and LMS support. Davis also supervised the Quality Enhancement Plan director. Prior to joining the University of North Alabama, Davis coordinated all aspects of electronic resources for the Florida College System, one of the three largest systems in the country. He was also a librarian and faculty member at Middle Tennessee State University where he had a number of appointments ranging from instruction, interlibrary loan, electronic resources, and systems liaison.

Davis holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Alabama. In addition, he holds an MLIS and M.A. in Latin American studies from the same institution. His undergraduate major was history and he attained his B.A. from the University of North Alabama. Davis has served as an adjunct in history at Middle Tennessee State University and the University of North Alabama. 

Darla Domke-Damonte, Associate Provost for Global Initiatives
Jackson Student Union A109-D  |  843-349-2129  |  ddamonte@coastal.edu

Darla Domke-Damonte, Ph.D., has been with Coastal Carolina University since August 1998, when she started as an assistant professor of management. Currently, she is the associate provost for global initiatives. In this role, she develops and implements internationalization strategies for the university. She is also a tenured professor of management and formerly served as assistant dean in the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at Coastal Carolina University. 

She earned her Ph.D. in strategic management from Florida State University in 1998, a master’s degree in international business (MIBS) from the University of South Carolina in 1993, and a bachelor’s degree from the American University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a double major in Russian/USSR area studies and foreign language (German)/communications media (Public Relations) in 1988. She is conversant in six languages.

Domke-Damonte’s research interests deal with entrepreneurial orientation, international knowledge flows, and the effects of pedagogical tools, individual, and team characteristics on performance in course projects in strategic management, and study abroad and its effects and support of curricular design. Her work has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in multiple journals, such as Management International Review, Operations Management Education Review, e-JBEST, Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, SAM Advanced Management Journal, the Journal of International Hospitality, Leisure, and Tourism Management, the New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, the Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, the Journal of Organizational Change Management, the Journal of Business and Society, the Hospitality Research Journal, Journal of Management Inquiry, Coastal Business Journal, Equal Opportunities International, and the Economic Review of Tourism (Ekonomická Revue Cestovného Ruchu). She has also published a book chapter with the National Business Education Association on Cross-Cultural and International Management. She serves or has served on the editorial boards of the following journals: SAM Advanced Management Journal, International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, Journal of Teaching in International Business, and Journal of Business Strategies. 

At Coastal Carolina University, she has successfully led two cycles of the university’s strategic planning effort under President David DeCenzo (in 2007-2008 and again in 2015-2016), successfully coordinating an array of stakeholders to arrive at a broadly endorsed strategic plan that led institutional resource commitments and assessment and engaged a broad range of hundreds of stakeholders. She has served as chair of the University Scholarship Committee, the University Tenure and Promotion Committee, and the University International Programs Committee. She currently serves on the QEP Executive Committee of the University and Associate Dean’s Council. Within the Wall College of Business, she previously served as assistant dean, served as chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, as a member of the dean’s leadership group, as a committee member for the Faculty Policies and Review Committee and the Policy Advisory Committee, and on numerous ad hoc committees dealing with issues such as faculty searches, curriculum and program redesign, and professional development programming. She maintains her rank as a tenured full professor of management.

James M. Johnson, Academic Affairs Project Coordinator
Singleton Building 127  |  843-349-2024  |  j.johnson@coastal.edu 

James Johnson is the academic affairs project coordinator in the Office of the Provost at Coastal Carolina University. In this role, James is responsible for all space and project management functions under the Academic Affairs unit. James manages all aspects of space allocation. He is also charged with overseeing various strategic construction and IT projects. Lastly, James oversees policies and procedures for facilities and IT projects that fall under the Academic Affairs unit. James has been both a student and staff member at CCU since 2009. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History in 2013 and Master of Education in Instructional Technology in 2015. In the future, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. once he finds the time to do so. 

In his free time, James volunteers for several local organizations and serves on the Board of Directors of a local cat rescue in the Conway and Myrtle Beach area. James also enjoys traveling and trying exotic foods and wine.

Holly J. Legg, Director, Institutional Research, Assessment and Analysis
Singleton Building 212  |  843-349-2994  |  hlegg@coastal.edu 

Holly Legg is the director of the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Analysis (IRAA) at Coastal Carolina University. In this role, she provides leadership in the areas of institutional research, accreditation, assessment, and records management. Legg also serves as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) institutional accreditation liaison and the university records manager. As the institutional accreditation liaison, she is responsible for ensuring the University remains in compliance with accreditation standards including any substantive changes and program developments. As the university records manager, Legg oversees the University’s adherence of all South Carolina state laws concerning records management and the records management process. She has been with Coastal Carolina University and IRAA since 2007, where she started as a statistical research analyst. Legg earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2000 and a Master of Business Administration in 2007.

James P. Solazzo, Senior Associate Provost for Retention and Student Completion
Kearns 216C  |  843-349-2717  |  jsolazzo@coastal.edu

James P. Solazzo, Ph.D., is the senior associate provost for retention and student completion and a professor of mathematics at Coastal Carolina University. In his role as senior associate provost, he focuses on students’ success across all academic programs at the university. In particular, he uses data to best determine where student resources are needed as well as revise policies and procedures that have been identified as “filters” towards student success. He also oversees the offices of Academic Advising, Career Services, and the Coastal Student Success Center.

Solazzo received his Bachelor of Arts in mathematics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Houston. Immediately after earning his Ph.D., he took a postdoctoral position at the University of Georgia. During this time, he realized how much he enjoys teaching mathematics, making Coastal Carolina University’s teacher-scholar model a perfect fit for his career goals as a mathematician. He has now been teaching college mathematics for over 30 years, and in 2012, was given the opportunity to serve as the chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at CCU. His mathematical research interests are in optimal line packings in finite-dimensional Euclidean space. However, Solazzo’s favorite mathematical activity is to visit K-5 classrooms in Horry County with math games that highlight the beauty of mathematics and share that everyone is capable of being good at math.

Rob Young, Associate Provost for Research
Coastal Science Center 160I  |  843-349-2277  |  ryoung@coastal.edu

Rob Young, Ph.D., is the associate provost for research and a professor of marine science at Coastal Carolina University. In his role as associate provost, he oversees the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Services and the Office of Undergraduate Research. He has been with CCU since 1992, and in that time has served as the department chair for marine science, the interim associate provost for grants and sponsored research, the director of undergraduate research, the director of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), and the president of the South Carolina Marine Educators Association.

Young received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Virginia and his doctoral degree in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island. As a faculty member in the marine science department, he mentored hundreds of undergraduate research students, 20 master’s student theses and has developed numerous marine and environmental education programs for students and teachers at all levels. His research and publications have focused primarily on the behavior, ecology and population biology of bottlenose dolphins and fishes in the southeastern United States, He has served as the state coordinator for the South Carolina Marine Mammal Stranding Network since 2008. In 2016, he was named the HTC Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Lecturer for CCU.