Lofton K. Stuart
Executive Director UTAA
lstuart@utfi.org
Support Staff: Angie Holtzclaw
Executive Assistant
aholtzclaw@utfi.org
Lofton K. Stuart is executive director of the University of Tennessee Alumni Association and Vice President of the UT Foundation, Inc. In his role, he serves as UT's chief alumni affairs officer. He has overall responsibility for the UT Alumni Association and the system-wide office of alumni affairs and annual giving. Stuart reports directly to the University's Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs and serves as a member of the UT President's staff. From September 2004 until May 2007, Stuart was executive assistant to UT President John Petersen. He served in the same capacity for former UT President Joe Johnson beginning in September 2003. Since joining the UT staff in 1972, Stuart also has held the positions of assistant director of annual giving, director of alumni programs, director of alumni affairs for UT Knoxville, and assistant vice president for alumni programs.
Stuart earned his UT undergraduate degree in agriculture in 1971 and has done graduate work in the College of Communication and Information. He has been active in the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the professional organization for university advancement staff. He was a trustee for CASE International and a board member for the CASE southeastern district.
He lives in Knoxville.
Lori Calvert
Director of Development Programs
lcalvert@utfi.org
Support Staff: Stacy Palado
Development Programs Specialist
spalado@utfi.org
As Director of Development Programs, Lori administers programs for the UT System Development Office’s Alliance of Women Philanthropists and Development Council, UT’s major donor boards. She is responsible for the event strategy, programming components, and execution of a broad range of activities which support these volunteer groups. Lori also works with the Alliance of Women Philanthropists’ volunteer-guided Giving Circle grants program and will direct its upcoming expansion. Previously, Lori was Director of Alumni Programs where she managed the UT Alumni Association Scholarship Program and served as staff liaison to the Women’s Council. Prior to UT, she spent 12 years at Scripps Networks holding various public relations and marketing positions including Public Relations and Talent Coordinator, Events Manager, Public Affairs Manager, and Director of Marketing. Lori earned a B.S. in Communications from ETSU in '93.
Tiffany Carpenter
Assistant Vice President of Communications for Development and Alumni Affairs
tcarpenter@utfi.org
Tiffany Carpenter joined the staff in October 2010 as Assistant Vice President of Communications for Development and Alumni Affairs. Prior to UT, Tiffany worked for various public relation firms in Nashville before moving to Knoxville where she has spent the past seven years as the assistant athletic director for public relations for the UT Athletic Department. Tiffany's new position will play a key role in helping to create and implement communications strategies to our 335,000 alumni, assist with the implementation of the Alumni Association's strategic plan, serve as point person for UT Foundation communications, and serve as our liaison to the university communications team. Tiffany is married and has two daughters.
Lisa Colletti-Jones
Director of Telefund
lcolletti@utfi.org
Support Staff: Kathy Holloway
Annual Giving Assistant
kholloway@utfi.org
Lisa Colletti-Jones joined the staff as the Assistant Director of the Telefund Program in 2003. She began working for the Telefund Program during the fall of 1999 as a student caller. After four years with the Telefund Program, Lisa was promoted to Assistant Director. Lisa graduated from The University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Journalism in 2002. She became Director of the Telefund in November 2011. Lisa is currently working on a second Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management. Lisa is married to Kristopher Jones (EHHS '02) and is a proud mother of two boys, Wyatt and Cole.
Melanie Edwards
Electronic Communications Coordinator
medwards@utfi.org
Melanie Edwards joined the UT Alumni Association in October 2011 and serves as electronic communications coordinator. Before coming to the university, Melanie worked for six years as a page designer and copy editor at the Knoxville News Sentinel. A native of Snellville, Ga., she graduated from the University of Georgia in 2003 with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism, newspaper emphasis. Melanie is married to Drew Edwards (UTK '03), assistant director of Internet communications for the UT Athletics Department.
Chandra Harris-McCray
Associate Director of Development and Alumni Affairs Communications
charrismccray@utfi.org
A native of Chicago, Chandra Harris-McCray serves as the Associate Director of Development and Alumni Affairs Communications. She oversees the implementation of communications plans that support the university's highest philanthropic priorities. A storyteller at heart, Chandra is passionate about capturing the essence of alums and friends and spreading the impact of private gifts to the university. An award-winning journalist and freelance writer, Chandra spent a decade at the Knoxville News Sentinel. She received her bachelor's degree in communications from Illinois State University and her master's degree in communications with a concentration in advertising from the University of Tennessee.
Darren Hughes
Director of Communications
dhughes@utfi.org
Darren Hughes moved to East Tennessee in 1998, when he came to UT to work on his Ph.D. in English. Although he abandoned his academic ambitions 70 pages into his dissertation, Darren and his wife, Joanna, decided to make a home of Knoxville. Over the past decade he has served in several Information Technology positions around campus, most recently acting as the lead designer of the new UT Knoxville and UT system websites. As Director of Communications for the UTAA, Darren is now leading the association through its transition to electronic communications and new media. Darren has a B.S. in English Education from Florida State University ('95) and a Masters in English from UNC-Wilmington ('98). Fun Fact: Joanna Hughes (UTK '02) was featured on the cover of the Spring 2005 issue of Alumnus.
Aleisha Julian
Director of Annual Fund Marketing
ajulian@utfi.org
Support Staff: Terry Johnson
Alumni Assistant
tjohnson@utfi.org
Aleisha Julian joined the UTAA team in March 2012 as Director of Annual Fund Marketing. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Annual Giving, Aleisha works closely with the campuses and colleges to plan, coordinate and implement direct mail and e-marketing campaigns for the campus and college funds, other academic units and initiatives, and UTAA’s Fund for the Future. Prior to her role with UTAA, she served as Annual Giving Coordinator for the College of Communication and Information at UT Knoxville. She is a 2009 graduate from the Knoxville campus with a B.S. in Communication and a concentration in public relations. Aleisha lives in Knoxville with her fiance and is engaged to be married.
Mike McCay
Senior Director of Marketing and Career Services
mmccay@utfi.org
Support Staff: Ginny Snow
Alumni Assistant
gsnow@utfi.org
Mike McCay joined the UT Alumni Association in September 2011 and currently serves as the Senior Director of Marketing and Career Services. His responsibilities include alumni networking and career services programming, the insurance program, the affinity card program, the alumni tour program, and other sponsorship initiatives. He joined the UT Office of Development and Alumni Affairs in 2007 as Assistant Director and then Director of Stewardship and Donor Recognition. He also worked in the UT Office of Career Services, serving as IT Administrator for four years. Mike has a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University ('02) and a master's degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville ('06). Mike's wife, Katie (UTK '02), works as an academic advisor in the UTK College of Nursing.
Angela Mills
Senior Director of Alumni Chapters and Outreach
amills@utfi.org
Support Staff: Blake Hicks
Alumni Assistant
bhicks@utfi.org
Angela Mills joined the UT Alumni Association in January 2007 and currently serves as the Senior Director of Alumni Programs and Outreach. During her tenure with the UTAA she has overseen the UTAA chapter and clubs program and worked directly with more than 35 chapters and clubs. From 2003-06 she worked with the UT College of Law as the Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Affairs and as the Assistant Director of Development for the UT College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. Prior to coming to UT in 2003, Angela worked with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in development for the National Symphony Orchestra. She holds a BS (2001) from Mary Washington College of Fredericksburg, Va., in business administration with a concentration in marketing and an MPA (2011) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Currently, she is serving on the University of Mary Washington Alumni Board of Directors. She served as co-chair of the Alumni Track for the 2012 District III Conference for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and was a presenter for CASE District III (2010, 2011) and District VI (2011).
Sarah Stair
Director of Alumni Programs and Scholarships
sstair@utfi.org
Sarah Stair began working with the UT Alumni Association Chapter program in June 2008 and was promoted to Director of Alumni Programs in January 2010. While continuing her work with the chapter programs, Sarah now also oversees the UTAA Scholarship program and serves as staff liaison to the UTAA Women's Council. Prior to coming to UT, Sarah served in two positions with the Tennessee Bar Association in Nashville, first as Continuing Legal Education Assistant, and later as Membership Director. Sarah holds a BA in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta. She is a past presenter at CASE District III (2012) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Junior League of Knoxville. She is married to Russell Stair, a Knoxville attorney.
Steve Vantrease
Associate Director of Alumni Chapters and Clubs
svantrease@utfi.org
Steve Vantrease was named associate director of alumni chapters and clubs for the UTAA in April 2013. In this capacity, Steve is responsible for engaging alumni and recruiting leaders from all of the UT campuses. He also works with UT’s alumni groups to plan and implement programs, activities and events. Steve joins the association after retiring from UT Martin with 34 years of service in the Division of Student Affairs working in the areas of student life, activities and services. Holding dual degrees from UTM, Steve is also a graduate of the University of Tennessee Leadership Institute and the WestStar Leadership Program. He has served on numerous local and regional boards of directors of community service entities and is an elected member of the Weakley County Board of Education. Steve has previously served the UTAA as a county alumni leader, a Board of Governors representative and an executive committee member. Steve works out of Martin, Tenn. He is married with two daughters and a son-in-law.
Erick Weber
Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving
eweber@utfi.org
Support Staff: Terry Johnson
Alumni Assistant
tjohnson@utfi.org
With more than 20 years of experience in development and advancement, Erick Weber joined the UT Alumni Association in March 2012 as the Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving programs. Erick earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, where he worked previously as the Managing Senior Director of Annual Giving. In his current role, Erick is responsible for leading a comprehensive, centralized annual giving program serving the colleges, campuses and institutes of the University of Tennessee System. Erick is passionate about philanthropy and has been an awarded faculty member at several CASE Annual Giving conferences focusing on best practices in annual giving and direct marketing.
Jackie Wise
Director of Alumni Chapters and Outreach
jwise@utfi.org
Jackie Wise began working with the UT Alumni Association in October 2012 as Director of Alumni Chapters and Outreach. In this position, Jackie works with alumni chapters and clubs to plan and implement programs and events, as well as engage alumni and recruit leaders from all campuses. Before coming to UT, Jackie worked with the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., as the Programs and Marketing Manager for four years. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Radio and Television from Murray State University and a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from the University of Tennessee. While attending UT, Jackie was an intern in the Tennessee Athletics’ Hospitality office, assisting with game-day operations in the club and skybox levels of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville athletic facilities.
Kerry Witcher
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Affairs & Annual Giving
kwitcher@utfi.org
Support Staff: Sue Denning
Alumni Assistant
sdenning@utfi.org
Kerry Witcher is the Assistant Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving at The University of Tennessee. In this position he serves as the chief operations officer for the UT Alumni Association, the 335,000 member organization serving alumni from each of the university’s five campuses. A 1981 graduate of Tennessee with a degree in marketing, he began his professional career in sales and marketing working for a pharmaceutical company. Kerry went to work for his alma mater in 1987 as Director of Alumni Programs. In addition to his current position, he has served in the roles of Director of Alumni Programs (1987-1992) and Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving (1992-2004) at UT. He also served as Interim Executive Director of the Association from September 2006 to May 2007. A native of Lafayette, Tenn., Kerry lives in Knoxville with his wife and three children.