Administrators named to inaugural UT Executive Leadership Institute

UTM administrators Dr. Charley Deal, special advisor to the chancellor, and Petra McPhearson, vice chancellor for finance and administration, are two of 18 members of the inaugural class in the University of Tennessee Executive Leadership Institute.

Deal became special advisor to the UT Martin chancellor in spring of this year after serving as associate vice chancellor for alumni relations and annual giving since July 2007. He also serves as executive director of the WestStar Leadership Program and interim director of the UT Martin Office of Research, Grants and Contracts.

McPhearson became vice chancellor for finance and administration in April after filling the position in an interim capacity since January 2016. She began working for UT Martin in 2011 and previously served as both interim director and director of budget and management reporting. She held several positions with the UT Health Science Center in Memphis and Bethel University in McKenzie before coming to Martin.

The institute is part of UT President Joe DiPietro’s legacy and was established to prepare internal candidates for future leadership positions and complement current succession-planning efforts within the UT System.

“My overall goal as president of the University of Tennessee has always been to leave this place in better shape than I found it,” said DiPietro. “I believe in the importance of developing leadership skills and understanding leadership’s role in higher education and look forward to teaching part-time in the program during retirement.”

The institute’s first cohort will meet Oct. 2 in Knoxville. Designed and led by Dr. Bob Smith, special advisor for leadership and talent development to the UT president and chancellor emeritus of UT Martin, the institute offers participants special development plans, executive coaching, mentoring and experiential learning. The class will meet six times throughout the year for multi-day leadership sessions. Candidates were nominated by their supervisors and competitively selected by campus and institute leaders.

“We estimate that 40 percent of our administrators will be eligible to retire in the next five years – creating vacancies in as many as 100 positions,” said Smith. “The institute will help ensure the right people with the right skills are ready to advance as opportunities become available.”

The 18 members of the 2018 cohort represent each UT campus and institute and oversee critical functions within the university system.

More information about the institute, including attendee biographies, is available at president.tennessee.edu/executive-leadership-institute.