KNOXVILLE — Dr. Herb Byrd III, director of Extension Evaluation and Staff Development for the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, has been selected to serve as interim vice president of the UT Institute for Public Service. UT President Joe DiPietro will appoint Byrd to the interim vacancy created by the retirement of Dr. Mary Jinks as IPS vice president effective Aug. 29, 2014. Byrd assumes his new role on Sept. 2, 2014.
“I’m grateful to Herb Byrd for his willingness to take on this significant responsibility and serve the University during this important transition,” DiPietro said. “Herb is a recognized and familiar University leader who brings 30 years of service to UT and, through his roles with our Institute of Agriculture, a thorough understanding of the University’s statewide contributions and constituencies.
“I’m also grateful to Mary Jinks for her 31 years of dedicated and committed service to the University. The critical and statewide role IPS plays in fulfilling our outreach mission requires that we select permanent leadership for the institute from candidates of the highest caliber.”
In his current role with the UT Institute of Agriculture, Byrd is a member of the chancellor’s executive team and a member of the Tennessee Extension administrative team. As an employee of UT since 1984, Byrd has worked with the statewide extension advisory committee on long-range planning; on oversight of statewide planning, evaluation and reporting including Federal Plan of Work and Progress Reports; with county extension and outreach, human resources, equity and diversity offices; and in leadership training and professional development for faculty and staff of various campuses. Byrd has a doctoral degree in educational administration and policy studies from UT Knoxville.
Jinks began serving as IPS vice president in 2008. Prior to that, she was associate vice president and director of operations for IPS, assistant director of the former IPS Center for Government Training, and early in her 31-year University career, was business manager for UT Knoxville residence halls. Jinks has led or served on several UT statewide committees and task forces focused on a range of areas from compensation to strategic planning. Jinks has a doctoral degree in higher education administration from UT Knoxville.
DiPietro plans to launch a national search in early 2015 to fill the IPS leadership role permanently.
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