SCIENCES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Arts & Sciences, Political Science
Job Titles:
- Haslam College of Business, Accounting & Information Management
Job Titles:
- Vice Provost for Student Success
Amber Williams is the inaugural Vice Provost for Student Success and is responsible for the University of Tennessee's efforts to serve all students and their unique academic goals.
Through the development, implementation, and evaluation of student success initiatives, Amber works to retain and graduate a talented and diverse student body. She goes beyond the numbers to see students as individuals, creating programs and policies that support each student's distinctive story and enabling them to prepare not just for graduation, but to make a difference in the world.
Additionally, Williams provides leadership to the Academic Success Center, Veterans Success Center, First-Year Programs, New Student Orientation, Undergraduate Research & Fellowships, Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration, Honors & Scholars Programs, Academic Inclusive Initiatives and campus-wide academic advising initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator for Vice Provost Neisler
Amy serves as the point of contact for all requests of the vice provost for international affairs, manages the vice provost's calendars and compiles meeting agendas, and coordinates internal strategic development initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
Angie serves as the internal and external point of contact for all requests of the provost, coordinates administrative workflow for the executive office, manages the provost's calendar, and assists and organizes provost-sponsored meetings.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Assistant
Connie manages chancellor's, provost's, vice chancellors', and vice provosts' guest traffic and phone calls, and provides administrative support to the Provost's Office.
Job Titles:
- Tickle College of Engineering, MABE
Job Titles:
- Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Diane Kelly oversees and facilitates processes related to the recruitment, retention, evaluation, promotion, and professional development of all faculty, both tenure-track and non-tenure-track, with attention to promoting faculty diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her responsibilities include oversight of: searching and hiring; annual performance and retention reviews; tenure and/or promotion; faculty development leaves and modified duty assignments.
Kelly's duties also include facilitating faculty development through Teaching Learning Innovation, the UTK Leadership Program, and the SEC Academic Leadership Program. Her office also supports department heads and school directors through learning and networking events, and oversees revisions to the Faculty Handbook. She works closely with the Faculty Senate and the UTK Commissions, and addresses faculty grievances and issues related to academic freedom.
Job Titles:
- Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
Dixie Thompson supervises and coordinates all aspects of graduate education on campus and supports the recruitment, admission, and academic achievement of graduate students here and at the UT Space Institute.
Her responsibilities include:
Working with the Graduate Council and its committees on policies, procedures, and curriculum proposals for continuing improvement and innovation of graduate programs;
Coordination of a network of departmental/program directors of graduate studies to advise the dean about graduate affairs;
Oversight of Graduate Admissions, the Office of Graduate Training and Mentorship, and maintenance of the Graduate Catalog;
Authority to approve all theses and dissertations submitted for graduate degrees;
Development and implementation of Graduate School sponsored workshops and initiatives that provide opportunities for graduate students to develop strong research and teaching skills and that support other aspects of professional development;
Facilitation of graduate student involvement in interdisciplinary research opportunities and international linkage and joint degree initiatives;
Management of the expenditure of Graduate School funds, including all graduate assistantships, tuition and fee waivers, and fellowships;
Participation in all program reviews; and
Maintaining active engagement with state, regional, and national professional organizations that promote and support graduate education.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator for Vice Provost Kari Alldredge
Elizabeth serves as the point of contact for all requests of the vice provost for enrollment management, coordinates administrative workflow for the vice provost, and assists with the vice provost calendar and scheduling.
As the Director of Repatriation for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Dr. Lofaro manages and coordinates national and international repatriation efforts. With a focus on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), she actively consults, collaborates and partners with Native American Tribes to repatriate all Native American ancestral remains and cultural items. Dr. Lofaro is also involved in the ongoing development of university policies and procedures regarding repatriation, research, and collections care, and is working to integrate collaborative community research and traditional care requests into university standards.
Education
Ph.D. 2016, Anthropology, University of Florida
M.A. 2011, Anthropology, University of Florida
B.A. 2009, Anthropology (French minor), Vanderbilt University
Job Titles:
- Assistant Provost for Finance and Administration
Gary Gray provides leadership in the areas of budget development and best practices, resource allocation, planning, policy, data management and analysis, and systems development.
Developing and implementing the Provost's academic planning and budgeting process to advance the Vol Vision 2020 strategic plan;
Overseeing the budgets and financial operations of the units reporting to the Office of the Provost;
Supporting and assisting the colleges in budget development, reporting, planning, and analysis;
Gary Gray provides leadership in the areas of budget development and best practices, resource allocation, planning, policy, data management and analysis, and systems development. His responsibilities include:
Developing and implementing the Provost's academic planning and budgeting process to advance the Vol Vision 2020 strategic plan;
Overseeing the budgets and financial operations of the units reporting to the Office of the Provost;
Supporting and assisting the colleges in budget development, reporting, planning, and analysis;
Providing guidance related to human resource planning and deployment;
Acting as the Provost's liaison to the campus Division of Finance and Administration;
Developing processes and administrative tools for the collection and use of academic data on campus;
Providing expertise to the Vice Provosts and other offices within Academic Affairs in modeling, forecasting, developing, and disseminating academic data to guide decision-making in enrollment management, faculty recruitment and retention, graduate programs and research, and implementation of Vol Vision 2020;
Serving on the Student Information Systems Committee, which prioritizes tasks, upgrades, and support for Enterprise Resource Planning and other software solutions; and
Creating performance measurement and assessment metrics such as calculating a cost of instruction, and a return on investment for program funding and new academic initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Senior International Officer
- Vice Provost for International Affairs, and Director, Center for Global Engagement
Gretchen Neisler is the senior international officer of our university. She began work at UT in August 2018. She came here from Michigan State University, where she was the director of the Center for Global Connections in Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources in the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources. She has an international portfolio that includes work across the Middle East, East Africa, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. Her responsibilities include:
Working closely with the university community to lead the development of the university's strategic international agenda;
Representing the university to external constituents, both nationally and internationally; and
Overseeing the Center for Global Engagement, which encompasses the offices of Asian Engagement, Programs Abroad, International Support Services, International House, English Language Institute, Global Research, and Communications.
Heather serves as the coordinator for provost-sponsored events and the project manager for internal office initiatives.
Jen oversees internal and external communications for the Office of the Provost, including social media, website, provost newsletter, and presentations. Jen also provides marketing and promotional support for office events and initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Senior Academic Personnel Specialist
Jenn serves as the point of contact for Interfolio processes, tenure-track appointments and reviews, faculty leave and other academic personnel actions.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator to Vice Provost Amber Williams
Jenny serves as the initial point of contact for all requests of the vice provost for student success, coordinates administrative workflow for the vice provost, and assists with the vice provost calendar and scheduling.
Job Titles:
- Professor of English
- Senior Vice Chancellor
Job Titles:
- Arts & Sciences, Chemistry
Job Titles:
- Business Manager, Academic Affairs
Karen manages the day to day operations of the provost office budget, oversees the financial and human resources operations of academic affairs units, and develops, implements, and manages department E&G and restricted budgets.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
Kari Alldredge leads the university's Division of Enrollment Management. The Division of Enrollment Management focuses on undergraduate recruitment and admissions, student services, retention and graduation.
Job Titles:
- Athletics Director of Compliance
Job Titles:
- Faculty Senate Representative
Job Titles:
- Architecture & Design, Design
Job Titles:
- Thornton Athletics Student Life Center
Job Titles:
- SEC and NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative
Megan serves as the point of contact for faculty credentialing, Interfolio processes related to faculty review, promotion, and tenure, and other data tracking and projects.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs & Director of Academic Personnel Services
Melanie serves to oversee key processes and actions related to faculty, including hiring, review, as well as tenure and promotion.
Job Titles:
- Director of Academic Finance
Michael provides oversight of the provost academic budget and executive human resource function, supervises finance and administration staff, develops and reviews provost business process and policy, and conducts financial planning and analysis.
Job Titles:
- Institutional Effectiveness ( Chair )
Job Titles:
- Executive Administrative Assistant
Michele serves as the internal and external point of contact for all requests of the vice provost for faculty affairs, coordinates administrative workflow for the vice provost, and assists with the vice provost calendar and scheduling.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator to Vice Provost and Dean Dixie Thompson
Millie serves as the point of contact for all requests of the vice provost and dean, coordinates administrative workflow, serves as the office manager for the Graduate School, and coordinates Graduate School sponsored programs and events.
Job Titles:
- Associate Provost & Chief Operating Officer
Owen Driskill manages the operations of the Office of the Provost and special projects related to the office's and the university's mission and vision. He also oversees processes that ensure the flow of information to stakeholders and central communications on behalf of the office.
His responsibilities include:
Work with the executive team to coordinate, support, and manage operations to promote the university's strategic goals;
Coordinate major initiatives of the Provost's Office to make sure appropriate units are interacting, sharing needed information, and meeting goals and deadlines;
Manage Office of the Provost communications with major stakeholders, including the chancellor's cabinet and the faculty senate Supervise events coordinator;
Work with Finance and Administration and OIRA to provide Provost's team with timely data and strategic insights
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
- Office of the Provost ( Co - Chair )
Ozlem Kilic currently serves as the Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Prior to her current position she was the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs for the Tickle College of Engineering. Kilic joined the university as an associate dean of academic and student affair in the Tickle College of Engineering and a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 2019. She also serves as the Executive Director for the recently launched intercollegiate undergraduate Data Science program.
In her current role, Kilic is the member of the Provost's senior leadership team with primary campus-wide responsibility for the oversight of undergraduate academic programs. She works closely with the Undergraduate Council's Academic Policy, Curriculum, and General Education committees, with the university's Classroom Upgrade Committee, and with the University Calendar Committee. She chairs the university's Residency Appeals Committee, co-chairs the University Space Committee with Jeff Maples, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, and co-chairs the university's Enrollment Management Committee with Kari Alldredge, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management. Kilic coordinates all academic program reviews on campus, manages the university's Strategic Instruction Fund, coordinates the university's NAGPRA compliance efforts, and is a member of the university's Budget Model Steering Committee.
Job Titles:
- College of Communication & Information, Communication Studies
Job Titles:
- Arts & Sciences, Tickle College of Engineering, Nuclear Engineering
Job Titles:
- Assistant to Interim Vice Provost Ozlem Kilic
Shelby serves as the initial point of contact for all internal and external requests for the vice provost for academic affairs. She also supports various committees and activities within academic affairs and assists with the vice provosts calendar and scheduling.