Blamey Named UT System Title IX Coordinator

Ashley Blamey, Title IX Coordinator for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will take on the same responsibilities for UT System Administration in a dual role, UT President Joe DiPietro announced today.

Blamey has served as UT System interim coordinator since August 2017. Her appointment as Title IX coordinator for both UT Knoxville and the UT System is effective immediately.

In June 2017, a Title IX Commission-appointed by DiPietro to review University policies, practices and resources-released a report with recommendations that the University began implementing immediately. Among those recommendations was establishing system-wide coordination.

“We made a commitment to having a program that is the gold standard, nationally. That requires a shared vision across the campuses,” DiPietro said. “Ashley has made UT Knoxville a leader in the prevention field, and her serving in both roles enables her to implement best practices system-wide.”

The dual roles allow seamless communication between system and campus Title IX efforts and more informed decision making by evaluating practices at UT Knoxville and other UT campuses.

As system-level coordinator, Blamey will track best practices and legal developments; collaborate with other UT Title IX officials in policy evaluation and development; measure program effectiveness; identify optimal training, prevention and awareness-building efforts and resources for their implementation; and oversee annual reporting on the frequency and nature of incidents and complaints.

“The commission report acknowledged our focus on increasing awareness and understanding of sexual misconduct policies and procedures toward prevention and responding effectively when incidents occur, and identified opportunities for improvement in some aspects of our Title IX program,” said DiPietro. “Ashley’s work in the system role over the past six months has demonstrated that she is the right person to ensure our Title IX program is, in fact, the gold-standard across the statewide UT system and the nation.”

As interim coordinator in response to the commission’s recommendations, Blamey has:

• Developed and implemented a communications plan
• Conducted a comprehensive review of Title IX documents and campus websites to identify gaps
• Established a Title IX model focus with policy, education/prevention, support/interim measures, investigations/resolution and patterns/trends
• Provided Title IX training to the UT president’s cabinet
• Launched training of UT Knoxville faculty and staff on reporting Title IX violations and campus resources
• Begun visiting campuses to evaluate Title IX resources
• Compiled information for a UT System Title IX annual report

In spring 2017, the commission, comprised of four nationally-recognized experts in Title IX compliance, conducted a detailed review of existing policies, protocols and resources system-wide. The group reviewed documents; conducted 65 interviews and follow-up conversations with 52 administrators and staff; hosted a series of focus group discussions and listening sessions with students on campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin; and met multiple times without any official UT presence.

Blamey previously served as director of the UT Knoxville Center for Health, Education and Wellness. In that role, Blamey also served as deputy Title IX coordinator for UT Knoxville. Under her leadership, the university was awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to develop best practices related to education about and prevention of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

Blamey has a bachelor’s degree in special education from East Tennessee State University and both master’s and doctoral degrees in social work from UT Knoxville. Her areas of expertise include distressed students, crisis management, bystander intervention, sexual assault and alcohol and substance abuse. She joined UT Knoxville in 2008 as its inaugural student case management specialist, bringing prevention and intervention services together. In that role, Blamey represented the university as the founding president of the national Higher Education Case Managers Association.

Tags: Ashley Blamey, Featured, Title IX