Finalists Named in Search for Next UT Martin Chancellor

KNOXVILLE –Four career higher education leaders have been selected as finalists in the search for the next University of Tennessee at Martin chancellor. Interviews will begin Aug. 29.

The finalists will visit Martin to meet with campus leaders and key faculty, staff, student, alumni and community members. While in Martin, the finalists also will speak at public forums. Each forum will be webcast live and archived for later viewing. The job description and resumes for finalists are available on the search website. Links to webcasts of the public forums will be added soon.

“UT Martin serves a distinctive and vital role within the University of Tennessee System and for the students, families and communities it serves in West Tennessee and beyond,” UT President Joe DiPietro said. “My priority is on selecting the highest-caliber leadership possible to help advance the campus’ mission, and I’m confident that we’re on track to do that. All four candidates have extensive higher education experience and excellent qualifications.”

The finalists are:

Keith Carver
Executive assistant to the president of the University of Tennessee since 2011. Carver’s 19-year career at UT also includes various leadership positions at three of the University’s campuses. He served as interim vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis in 2010. Prior to that, he spent four years at UT Martin as assistant vice chancellor for development. He also served for more than 10 years in various positions at UT Knoxville, including as director of development and alumni affairs for the College of Law. Carver earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Memphis State University and master’s and doctoral degrees from UT Knoxville in college student personnel and educational leadership and philosophy.

Mary Holz-Clause
Dean of the College of Agriculture at Cal Poly Pomona in Los Angeles, California, since 2014. Previously, she served as vice president for economic development at the University of Connecticut. Her career in higher education also includes 25 years at Iowa State University, where among other positions, she served as associate vice president of extension and outreach. Prior to beginning her career in higher education, she spent about 8 years with the Iowa Department of Economic Development. Holz-Clause earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business, a master’s degree in public administration and a doctorate in agriculture education and extension—all from Iowa State University.

Jay Morgan
Chief academic officer and vice president for academic affairs and student success at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education since 2015. Previously, he spent almost 20 years in leadership roles at Murray State University in Kentucky, including serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs and as associate provost for graduate education and research. Prior to beginning his career in higher education, he served as program director for the Agriculture Leadership Development Program in Kentucky for 10 years. Morgan earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture science from Murray State and a doctorate in philosophy from Oklahoma State University.

Jerald Woolfolk
Vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at the State University of New York at Oswego since 2014. She also serves as the interim chief diversity officer and inclusion officer. Previously, she spent almost 10 years at Mississippi Valley State University, where among other positions, she served as vice president for student affairs, enrollment management and diversity from 2011 to 2013. Additionally, she served as vice president for student affairs at the College of Staten Island and as the dean of students at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Woolfolk earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a doctorate in urban higher education from Jackson State University in Mississippi. She earned a master’s degree in counselor education from Iowa State University.

The successful candidate will serve as a member of the UT System leadership team, reporting directly to the University president, and as chief executive officer of the Martin campus. The chancellor is responsible for promoting continued development of the campus and its academic, research and service programs—while maintaining a commitment to access and diversity and striving to build a national reputation of excellence.

To learn more about the search, read more about the finalists and download their photos, visit http://tennessee.edu/execsearch/utm-chancellor/.

Tags: Chancellor, Executive Searches, Featured, UT Martin