Staff
Dr. Izetta Slade, Ed.D.
Executive Director, HR/Employee & Organizational Development
865-974-0807
izetta.slade@tennessee.edu
Izetta is currently the Executive Director for Employee and Organizational Development with University of Tennessee (UT) System Human Resources. Immediately preceding her move to UT System HR she served as Executive Director of Human Resources at UT Knoxville. Other positions held at UT include; Associate Director for Equity and Diversity, Interim Department Head for UT Extension Evaluation and Staff Development, Interim Human Resource Officer for UT Institute of Agriculture, and Training Program Manager at the Institute for Public Service.
Izetta has over 20 years of work experience with higher education institutions. She also has experience in working with business, non-profit, and local, county, and state government agencies to provide human resources, customer service, strategic planning, program facilitation, event planning, leadership coaching and development, performance and organizational consulting, and professional development services.
Izetta received her B.S. in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina, her M.S. in Educational Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University, and doctorate in Learning and Leadership through UT, Chattanooga.
Jeannie Tennant
Assistant Director
865-974-9187
jtennan4@tennessee.edu
Jeannie joined Employee and Organizational Development in June 2021. Prior to joining the EOD team, she served the UTK campus as a Learning and Organizational Development Consultant. Trained as an educator and coach, Jeannie has a diverse background in public education, healthcare, and higher education focused on leadership and staff development, professional coaching, and program facilitation.
She has a passion for life-long learning! Her focus is on meaningful and rigorous learning opportunities. Jeannie has experience in providing inclusive leadership development, strategic planning, differentiated learning, and organizational consulting.
Jeannie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies and Human Learning from Tennessee Technological University and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management.
Sarah Crichton
Learning Consultant
865-974-4430
sarrcric@tennessee.edu
Sarah joined Employee and Organizational Development in January 2022 as the Learning and Development Coordinator. She is a recent graduate of UTK where she held a variety of extracurricular leadership roles. Most notably, she was the vice president of membership development for the UTK SHRM chapter, as well as a founding member and the vice president of hospitality for the Women of Haslam organization. Sarah is eager to share her passion for leadership, education, and learning with staff and faculty all across the state!
As Learning Consultant and Business Partner, Sarah’s focus is on providing system-wide consulting, assistance, and support for designing and implementing synchronous and asynchronous learning. She is responsible for event planning for major conferences, certificate programs, and the UT Leadership Institute, as well as providing support for in-person and online learning opportunities.
Sarah holds a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis on Human Resource Management and International Business from the University of Tennessee.
Kortney Jarman
LMS Administrator & eLearning Consultant
865-974-6055
kjarman@tennessee.edu
Kortney joined Employee and Organizational Development in February 2022. Prior to joining the EOD, he served the UTK Campus for 20 years in various roles, first as a Computer Support Specialist for the Haslam College of Business, an IT Specialist and Systems Admin for the Center for Career Development, and a Learning Technology Specialist for the Instructional Support and Training team in the Office of Information Technology. Kortney has a diverse background in technology support and training and strives to use technology as a tool for growth, collaboration and development.
He has a passion for learning and providing learning opportunities. His focus is to provide employee development and compliance training initiatives via the K@TE learning management system for statewide internal employees, UT departments and campuses. He advises on eLearning best practices that adhere to high quality standards and aids in training and support for campus learning administrators.
Kortney holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Jenna Johnson
Sr. Learning Coordinator and LMS Technical Assistant
865-974-6055
jjohn400@tennessee.edu
Jenna Johnson is a Knoxville native who attended K-12th grade at the Christian Academy of Knoxville and is currently completing her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville majoring in Human Resource Management with a concentration in International Business. Jenna has been a member of EOD since June 2021 as an HR Student worker and Leadership Institute (LI) Intern and is humbled to be officially joining the team in her new role as Sr. Learning Coordinator and LMS Technical Assistant as of June, 2022.
As the Sr. Learning Coordinator and LMS Technical Assistant, Jenna will provide K@TE support for internal and external UT business partners, assist EOD to implement UTSA initiatives across all campuses and institutes, and provide logistics and planning support for EOD conferences and the bi-annual Leadership Institute. Jenna is excited to bring her energetic and inclusive personality and to continue her professional and personal growth within UT System HR.
Outside of work, Jenna enjoys reading, biking, shopping, hanging out with friends, and being outside during summertime, especially going to the beach or lake. Jenna is a foodie and enjoys trying new restaurants in Knoxville with her friends.
Alyssa Thom
Sr. Learning Consultant and Business Partner
865-974-8359
athom@tennessee.edu
Alyssa joined Employee and Organizational Development in February 2023. Prior to joining the EOD team, she served the UTK campus as an Academic Personnel Specialist. Trained in education and with 10 years of experience in human resources, Alyssa has a diverse background in public education, local government, and higher education. Outside of work, Alyssa enjoys serving her community through volunteering and service projects. In nearly 20 years of volunteering for Canine Companions, she has helped to raise 11 service dogs.
As Sr. Learning Consultant and Business Partner, Alyssa’s focus is to address the unique learning and development needs of each campus and institute, through the design, development, and delivery of learning programs. Alyssa is passionate about providing meaningful learning opportunities to every employee of UT.
Alyssa holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from San Diego State University, a certificate in Human Resources Management from University of Nevada, Reno, and is currently pursuing a M.S.S.W in Organizational Leadership at University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
