Clemson Development Drama: High-Profile Corporate Resignations

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by JENN WOOD

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The corporate saga surrounding Clemson University’s controversial development connections escalated this week when United Homes Group (UHG) — a residential building company central to the unfolding drama — confirmed two high-profile school leaders had stepped down from its embattled board of directors.

Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley (one of Clemson’s seven unconstitutional lifetime trustees) and Clemson University president James P. Clements both resigned from UHG’s board of directors on Sunday (October 19, 2025), according to news release from the company.

Their departures came amid a mass exodus of UHG board members – one that left executive chairman and controlling shareholder Michael Nieri, a Clemson mega-donor, as the only remaining director of the publicly traded company.

According to the corporate news release, the members’ resignations followed the conclusion of a months-long “strategic alternatives” review during which a special committee of independent directors recommended continuing as an independent public company rather than pursuing a merger or sale.

Four directors — Robert Dozier Jr., Jason Enoch, Alan Levine and James M. Pirrello — informed Nieri they were willing to remain on the company’s board if he agreed to step down as executive chairman and waive future compensation under his employment agreement. Nieri refused, prompting all six directors — including Haley and Clements — to announce their exits.

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RELATED | TIGER BY THE TAIL

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For those of you following this broader story, UHG’s unraveling is deeply intertwined with a controversy over Clemson University’s expanding influence in regional development.

Nieri’s network of companies — including Great Southern Homes and East Shore South LLC — has appeared throughout property records and wastewater filings tied to a massive, 5,200-unit housing project and mixed-use development near Newry Mill in Oconee County.

These filings revealed overlapping business addresses, shared representatives, and official correspondence involving developers with direct Clemson connections. While the school pushed back against allegations involving its leaders, receipts kept piling up showing additional ties between multiple developments and companies tied to Nieri.

As previously reported by FITSNews, Oconee County Council sent formal letters to both the S.C. Senate (.pdf) and Clemson’s Board of Trustees (.pdf) seeking transparency regarding these relationships — and urging a state-level oversight investigation.

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THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

In its official statement announcing the resignation of its directors, UGH indicated its departing leaders believed the company’s existing management team was “better suited to help the company navigate the current market environment and address the company’s operational challenges without Mr. Nieri serving as executive chairman.”

Haley’s resignation, effective “no later than November 14, 2025,” cited her desire to focus on “other engagements and professional responsibilities.” Clements’ resignation, which was effective immediately, cited his desire “to focus his time on his other professional obligations and responsibilities.”

In discussing its market approach, UHG reaffirmed its “land-light” model — controlling homebuilding lots through option contracts rather than direct development — and its focus on markets across South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.

“As the company reviews potential geographic markets into which it could expand its homebuilding business, it intends to focus on selecting markets with positive population and employment growth trends, favorable migration patterns, attractive housing affordability, low state and local income taxes, and desirable lifestyle and weather characteristics,” the release noted.

Investors were not impressed. UHG’s stock lost more than 53% of its value on Monday, falling from $4.25 per share to roughly $2.00 per share in after-hours trading. Pulling the lens back further, UHG has seen its stock fall from a peak of $6.93 per share last November to a low of $1.72 per share earlier this year.

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RELATED | LOCAL LEADERS PUSH BACK ON CLEMSON’S DEVELOPMENT DENIALS

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Oconee County council chairman Matthew Durham – whose push for oversight has helped expose the questionable university-developer connections linked to UHG – wasted no time in responding to the board’s collapse.

“The rats have started jumping ship,” Durham wrote in a post responding to the news. “As the truth begins to surface, the fallout is already underway. Nikki Haley, president Jim Clements, and every United Homes Group board member — except Chairman Michael Nieri — have now resigned. UHG’s stock price is down 50 percent and crashing.”

Durham made it clear he would continue to push for accountability related to the company’s involvement in projects in his home county.

“Jumping ship doesn’t absolve them of responsibility,” Durham said of the resigning board members.

Durham added that he had texted Senate president Thomas Alexander, urging that a full state investigation “must still move forward.” He also noted that developer Mark Hart – who has acted as a representative of UHG-affiliated entities in the Upstate – previously told county officials the company “did not feel compelled to follow (Oconee) ordinances” and threatened political and media retaliation if local leaders didn’t yield.

Hart is a former chief operating officer for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. He was also president of GT Real Estate Holdings, the company behind Panthers’ owner David Tepper’s abandoned bid to bring the team’s headquarters and practice facility to the Palmetto State.

“They wanted a media campaign — they got one,” Durham said. “I told y’all – Oconee will not be bullied. The truth is finding daylight.”

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POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FALLOUT

Durham’s reaction underscores the broader stakes of the UHG implosion. While the resignations may insulate Haley and Clements from Nieri’s corporate turmoil, they do little to untangle the web of influence linking Clemson’s leadership, political donors, and private developers.

Meanwhile, Oconee County’s transparency demands of the university remain unanswered, and the State Senate has yet to respond to calls for oversight. With Nieri now holding sole control of a company whose reach stretches across university-adjacent real estate corridors, the line between public authority and private interest appears to be blurrier than ever.

The mass resignations from UHG mark another escalation in South Carolina’s ongoing struggle over institutional transparency and developer influence. Whether the fallout ends here — or triggers formal investigations — will test how far accountability truly extends when the paper trail runs through Clemson University, its donors, and its development allies.

It also remains to be seen whether the scandal will focus additional scrutiny on the leadership of Clemson – and the unconstitutional structure of its governing board.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.

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