LI Staff/Facilitators

Chandra Alston

Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources, UT Health Science Center

Chandra Alston as been employed with the University for eighteen years and has worked in other departments including Allied Health as Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration, HR as a Team Leader and Interim Assistant Director, OIT as a Technical Trainer and OED as the Training Administrator. Her passion has been training and developing employees. Chandra has been married to Michael Alston (Director, OED, UTHSC) for twenty-five years, and they have three adult children and two grandchildren Jaylen & Aliyah. She enjoys spending time with her family, roller skating, and exercising. Her motto is empower others – you can’t do it all!!!

Michael Alston

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Equity and Diversity & Title IX Coordinator, UT Health Science Center

Michael’s employment within the UT System spans 25-plus years with stints at UT Martin, UT Knoxville, and UT Health Science Center. His experience in higher education includes student recruitment and admissions, employee relations, and equal employment opportunity, affirmative action and diversity/inclusion.

Randy Boyd

President, University of Tennessee

Randy Boyd has served as UT’s 26th president since November of 2018, and serves as the chief executive officer of the statewide university system. The UT System includes campuses in Chattanooga, Pulaski and Martin; the Health Science Center in Memphis; and the Institute of Public Service. Additionally, it includes the flagship campus in Knoxville, which is also comprised of the Space Institute in Tullahoma and the statewide Institute of Agriculture. The UT System also manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership, where Boyd serves as co-chairman.

Richard Brown

Consultant, Human Resources, UT Chattanooga

Dr. Brown provides executive level leadership and oversight for institutional financial planning and stewardship, budgeting, Bursar, Disbursements, Master Planning, capital projects planning and implementation, Auxiliary Services(food services, bookstore, print solutions), Human Resources, Parking and Transportation Services, Purchasing, Campus Police, Safety and Emergency Planning, Risk Management, Information Technology, Office of Equity and Diversity, McKenzie Arena and the Fine Arts center, Facilities Planning and Campus Operations to include custodial, grounds, and preventative maintenance. Additionally, he provides financial liaison and support to our U C Foundation which has accumulated resources/assets in excess of $200 million. He serves as a key member of the Chancellor’s cabinet and assist with institutional accreditation, strategic planning, and community partnerships.

Judy Burns

Enterprise Risk Officer, Chief Financial Officer, UT System Administration

Judy is a native of southeast Kentucky who began working for the University of Tennessee as an instructor in the UTK English Department. She currently serves as the University’s Enterprise Risk Officer, a position she has held since June 2020. In this role, she leads the University’s Enterprise Risk Management initiative, consulting with University leadership to identify key risks to the achievement of our mission and develop response plans. Recently, she coordinated the development of the UT System Strategic Plan and served as project manager for the acquisition of Martin Methodist College, now UT Southern.

Brian Dickens

Chief Human Resources Officer, Human Resources, UT System Administration

Brian Dickens is responsible for planning, developing and implementing statewide initiatives that support employee engagement. Areas of administration include system recruitment, employee and organizational development, compensation, inclusion, diversity and engagement, data analytics, reporting, payroll, benefits and retirement services. The office also works to ensure compliance with federal, state and University labor standards and policies. He collaborates with UT system, campus and institute leadership, human resources officers and diversity officers. Dickens joined the UT System on Dec. 1, 2019, following a national search.

Macel Ely

Director, Organizational Improvement, UT Institute for Public Service

Macel serves as Director of the Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership (NCEL) at the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Public Service. The purpose of the NCEL is to provide training and professional growth to leaders at all levels, from the emerging supervisor to the experienced senior executive. Leadership programs he oversees include the Institute for Public Service’s Leadership Academy, the Tennessee Government Executive Institute, the Tennessee Government Management Institute, the Local Government Leadership Program and the Certified Public Manager Program.

Mike Gregory

Director, Communications and Marketing, UT System Administration

Mike is originally from Nashville but has called Rocky Top home for the past 8 years. He attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville from 1997-2001 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications while minoring in Sport Management. During his time in Knoxville, Mike worked as a student assistant in the Volunteer Athletic Department where he saw the Vols win back-to-back SEC football championships and the 1998 National Championship. After his time in Knoxville he returned to Nashville where he was the Vice President of Events for the Nashville Sports Council & Music City Bowl. There he helped recruit and host major sporting events for the city of Nashville including the SEC Basketball Championships and the NCAA Women’s Final Four and served as the logistics contact for the Music City Bowl which featured schools from the SEC and ACC on an annual basis.

Bruce Keisling

Bruce first joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 1999 as a clinical psychologist with a concentration in the assessment and treatment of children with developmental disabilities. He is the Executive Director of the Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities and holds the Shainberg Professorship in Developmental Pediatrics within the Department of Pediatrics. He also serves as a faculty member for the College of Graduate Health Sciences’ Nursing Science Program.

Linda Martin

Vice President, VP of Academic Affairs and Student Success,
UT Southern

Dr. Linda C. Martin was appointed vice president for academic affairs and student success for the University of Tennessee System in November of 2017. Before joining the University, Martin served as the director of the second-year transformational experience program at The Ohio State University. She began her career in higher education as a faculty member at Kansas State University, serving in the department of animal sciences and industry for 15 years. The vice president for academic affairs and student success works closely with campus chief academic and student affairs officers to oversee academic and student affairs for the UT System and coordinate mission statements, academic strategic plans, academic policy, shared governance and admission, progression and retention standards. Martin earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State, a master’s degree from Virginia Tech and a doctorate from Colorado State University—all in animal science. Martin currently lives in Knoxville with her husband, Ken, and has two children, Travis and Hannah.

Jerald Ogg Jr.

Professor, Mass Media and Strategic Communication, UT Martin

Jerald Ogg is a professor in the UT Martin department of communications and director of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Humanities. Before serving as UTM’s longest-tenured vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost from 2007-2017, Jerald was a department chair, dean and interim vice chancellor for student affairs. He holds a Ph.D. in journalism from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, a J.D. from The University of Tennessee, a master’s in journalism from Louisiana State University and B.S. degrees in political science and communications from UT Martin.

Jorge Perez

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Success, UT System

Jorge currently serves as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Success. He joined the University of Tennessee System as associate vice president of academic affairs and student success in September 2018. Prior to joining UT, Jorge was vice provost for institutional effectiveness and professor of information systems at Kennesaw State University. He is a triple-Seminole with a bachelor’s degree in English, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in information systems from Florida State University. Jorge joined the LI staff in 2019.

Laure Pou

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Human Resources, UT Chattanooga

Laure joined the UTC Office of Human Resources in 2009 after completing her master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She currently serves as the Assistant Vice Chancellor with responsibility for leadership of the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Equity and Inclusion to provide efficient, effective, and innovative services to campus. Laure is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Learning and Leadership at UTC and enjoys supporting the development of current and future UT leaders through her work with the UT Leadership Institute.

Michelle Rigler

Executive Director of the Disability Resource Center and the Mosaic Program, UT Chattanooga

Michelle Rigler has served the University of Tennessee Chattanooga for 17 years and is currently UTC’s Executive Director of the Disability Resource Center and the Mosaic Program. In her role, she has helped elevate the university to one of the Top 50 disability-friendly campuses in the country and has created and successfully grown one of the nation’s top five Autism-specific programs. She has a BS. in Exceptional Education from Western Michigan University, an M.A. in Special Education from Prescott College, and a Doctorate of Education in Learning & Leadership at UTC. In previous positions, Michelle has worked specifically with outdoor leaderships, experiential education and team building as part of her primary roles.

Tomi Rogers

Human Resources & Operations Manager, UT Institute for Public Service

Tomi Rogers currently serves as the Human Resources & Operations Manager for the Institute for Public Service (IPS). Before joining IPS, she served as an Extension Specialist in Extension within the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture. She joined UT in 2001 as an intern in human resources and has gradually been afforded opportunities to grow her career as a human resources professional. Tomi received her BS in Human Resource Development and her MS in Human Resource Management, both from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Learning and Leadership from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

Tyvi Small

Vice Chancellor for Diversity, VC of Diversity and Engagement, UT Knoxville

Tyvi Small currently serves as Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As Vice Chancellor, Tyvi has developed several initiatives to move the newly formed Division of Diversity and Engagement forward. The Framework for Inclusive Excellence, which included campus-wide input, was created by his team as the diversity, equity and inclusion plan for the university. In addition, he has worked with senior leadership to facilitate the process for all academic and administrative units to submit Diversity Action Plans. He led the process to develop and fund the academic diversity initiative, which places diversity officers and programs in all academic colleges. In partnership with the Division of Research, the Research Development Academy was developed to help mentor historically underrepresented faculty through the promotion and tenure process. His team also coordinated the process for administering the university’s first climate survey. He recently coordinated the process to name several campus structures in honor of UT trailblazers, including residence halls for Theotis Robinson, Jr., UT’s first African American undergraduate student and Rita Sanders Geier, who led efforts to desegregate higher education in Tennessee. In addition, Brenda Lewis Peel, the first African American to receive an undergraduate degree from UT, was recently honored with the naming of a Galleria in Hodges Library.

Jan Allen

Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Graduate School, Cornell University

Jan Allen worked at UT Knoxville for more than 20 years as a faculty member and assistant dean of the Graduate School before new opportunities at Northwestern, Columbia, and now Cornell University. She has extensive mentoring experience and is a published author on the subject. Allen says skills she learned at the UT Leadership Institute have helped her immensely throughout her career.

Todd Bess

Director of the Controlled Substance Monitoring Database for the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy and Tennessee Department of Health

Todd Bess helps lead the fight against the state and national drug abuse epidemic.  Prior to his current position, he was the Assistant Dean for Middle Tennessee for the University Of Tennessee College Of Pharmacy.

Herb Byrd

Vice President, UT Institute for Public Service (IPS)

Dr. Herb Byrd III was named UT Vice President of Public Service in January 2016. He served in the position on an interim basis beginning in September 2014. Over 35 years of his professional career has been spent with the University of Tennessee. He began with UT Extension as a 4-H agent in Monroe County. He then worked in McMinn County for seven years in Adult Agriculture & Resource Development while serving as county director. In a two-year stint away from Extension, Byrd was a Vice President with Lads to Leaders, Inc. where he conducted workshops teaching adults how to teach leadership skills to youth. Byrd returned to UT in 1998 to work in Extension Administration, eventually serving as the UTIA Human Resources and Diversity Officer, and Director of the Extension Evaluation and Staff Development Department.

Keith Carver

Chancellor, UT Martin

Dr. Keith Carver was chosen to serve as the 11^th chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Martin on January 3, 2017, and he has just completed his first year as chancellor of UT Martin.

Celebrating 20 years of service at the University of Tennessee, Carver previously served as executive assistant to the president January 2011 to December 2016. Prior to that, he held roles at UT campuses in Knoxville, Martin and Memphis, including serving as interim vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis and assistant vice chancellor for development at UT Martin. He held several positions at UT Knoxville including assistant director and director of development and alumni affairs for the College of Law, program director for the Office of Student Activities and co-director of TeamVOLS (community outreach and service program).

Carver has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Memphis, a master’s degree in college student personnel and educational leadership from UT Knoxville and a doctoral degree from UT Knoxville. His doctoral dissertation was titled, “A Study of Presidential Derailment in Public Research Universities.”

Keith and his wife, Hollianne, are the parents of a daughter, Carson, and two sons, Jack Thomas (J.T.) and Britton.

Amy Paganelli

Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration, Graduate School of Medicine – Knoxville

Amy Paganelli joined UT Knoxville in 1999 and is responsible for all financial and budgeting aspects of the Graduate School of Medicine as well as administrative operations.

Cindy West

Dean & Professor, College of Education, Health, and Behavioral Sciences, UT Martin

Cindy joined the UT Martin faculty in 1990, and has served in several key leadership roles prior to UT, at UT as Chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences, and on Board positions outside of UT. Her passion for effective leadership is apparent in not only her work, but also local community involvement activities including fundraising for a child abuse prevention center and directing plays at the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center and at her church. She is a 2013 Leadership Institute graduate.

Brian Browning

Executive Director of Auxiliary & Support Services, UT Knoxville

Betsy Adams

Assistant Dean for Haslam College of Business, UT Knoxville

Betsy Adams is the Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration for the Haslam College of Business, providing strategies for resource planning and allocation across all academic programs, departments, centers and executive education operations. In her position, she has direct responsibility for the Financial Information Office (FIO), Technology Integration Services (TIS) and facilities staff.

Nancy Badger

Associate Dean and Director of Counseling, Counseling and Career Planning Center, UT Chattanooga

Nancy Badger, a licensed psychologist, joined UT Chattanooga in 2004 and supervises the directors of the Women’s Center, Office for Students with Disabilities and the Student Success Center. She also serves as director of the Counseling and Career Planning Center.

Ken Brown

Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer, UT Health Science Center

Ken Brown joined the UT Health Science Center in 2000 after working in private practice as an employment and health law attorney. As the executive vice chancellor, he is second in command and the chief administrative officer. Brown received a doctorate in health policy from the UT Health Science Center.

Peter Chyka

Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Executive Associate Dean, College of Pharmacy, UT Health Science Center Knoxville Campus

Peter Chyka is the executive associate dean for the UT Health Science Center’s College of Pharmacy campus in Knoxville. Chyka served as executive director of the Southern Poison Center for two decades, director of the UT Drug Information Center for a decade and has been recognized with the UT National Alumni Association Public Service Award and the UTHSC Chancellor’s Distinguished Educator Award.

Bill Dunne

Professor and Associate Dean of Research and Technology, College of Engineering, UT Knoxville

Bill Dunne joined UT Knoxville in 1988 as an associate professor of geology and presently serves as an associate dean in the College of Engineering. He has institutional awards for his teaching and service, and serves as an editor of the Journal of Structural Geology.

Linda Francisco

Retired, UT System

Linda Francisco’s first connection to the University was through 4-H. She later attended UT Knoxville and was an instructor in the English department before transitioning to human resources in 1982. She truly believes that pausing to take a deep breath can help every situation.

Nancy Howell

Research Assistant Professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, UT Institute of Agriculture

Nancy Howell earned graduate degrees in higher education administration from UT Knoxville. As a research assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, she is responsible for facilitating problem-based cases and teaching a service-learning elective. She also directs the college’s outcomes assessment activities and is involved in Department of Homeland Security grants related to food safety and disaster planning. Howell says she feels fortunate to have spent the majority of her life in a college environment where learning is a constant.

John Schommer

Professor of Mathematics, College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, UT Martin

John Schommer joined the UT Martin faculty in 1994 after teaching at the University of New Orleans, Duke and Ohio University. He has been president of the UT Martin Faculty Senate and a member of the UT Board of Trustees. He currently serves as UTM’s Faculty Athletics Representative to the NCAA. John is the treasurer for Weakley County Habitat for Humanity.

Edwin-Michael Cortez

Professor Emeritus, Former Director of the School of Information Sciences, UT Knoxville

Ed Cortez, an educator for more than 30 years specialized in information management systems and organizational communication. In addition to working in higher education, Cortez was a consultant for the government and private sector.

Marva Rudolph

Director of Equity and Diversity, UT Knoxville

Marva Rudolph, a UT Knoxville graduate, joined the University in 1990 and worked with administrators, faculty, staff and students in the Knoxville area to address compliance issues and to enhance diversity programs. For Rudolph, working at UT was a learning experience from day one.

Dan Webb

Director of Human Resources, UT Chattanooga

Dan Webb joined UT Chattanooga in 1994 after working in human resources at Duke University and Union Carbide. As a Model-Netics Teaching Associate, he taught the unique management development program at UT.