Dana Hagan, a UT Martin employee since 2006, has become the next director of the campus Physical Plant.
Hagan was named to the position July 25. She came to UT Martin as a temporary employee under former Physical Plant Director Dr. Tim Nipp. She was selected to be a full-time project coordinator in July 2009, the first to fill that position, and assumed additional duties as the associate director in 2020.
“I am honored to have been selected to lead the greatest people at UTM,” Hagan said. “I know their prayers and the prayers of others are what made the difference. I pray that I will be able to lead our team to make an impact as those leaders of the past have done and their investment in me will be fruitful.”
Petra Rencher McPhearson, the senior vice chancellor for Finance and Administration, praised Hagan for her work in the physical plant.
“Dana has worked as an integral part of the Physical Plant team since 2006, serving as project coordinator and performing associate director duties in recent years,” McPhearson said. “She has contributed to several campus capital projects, including Clement Hall improvements, safety and security improvements, the campus master plan, the Latimer-Smith Engineering and Science Building, Elam Center lighting upgrades and bringing the Boling University Center restrooms into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
Hagan was recognized with the UTM Outstanding Exempt Employee Award for Spring 2023.
Hagan, a resident of Union City, earned a bachelor of science degree in Civil Engineering Technology from UT Martin in 1994 and a master of science degree in Engineering Management from UT Knoxville in 2015.
The Physical Plant houses the university’s facilities crews for operations including building services, custodial services, grounds and greenhouse, recycling, transportation services, warehouse and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Nipp served as the director of the physical plant from 2004 to 2020, when he became the chair of the UTM Department of Engineering. Brad Burkett, the Physical Plant’s interim director since 2020, recently retired from the university.
