Staff Senate
The Staff Senate serves as the official representative of the staff in the collaborative governance model for the university. The concept of an Employee Relations structure was established in 1972 to facilitate two-way communication between non-exempt employees and the university administration. In January 2024, the Employee Relations Committee, which represented non-exempt employees, and the Exempt Staff Council, formed later to represent exempt employees at the director level and below, merged to become the Staff Senate.
The Staff Senate joins the Faculty Senate and the Student Government Executive Council as part of the University Council. The Staff Senate meets on the last Thursday of each month to discuss university issues of concern and forward opinions on policies, procedures, and activities related to staff to the university administration. In addition to serving as the voice of the staff, the organization also is a conduit for university leadership to keep the staff informed and assists in carrying out the university’s mission and vision.
ByLawsContact List
Each member has their area they represent described along with Email and Phone number.
Kimberlee Norwood
College of Medicine
knorwood@uthsc.edu | 901.448.3843
Cynthia Tooley
College of Medicine
ctooley@uthsc.edu | 901.448.7635
Ann Fields
College of Medicine
cfield15@uthsc.edu | 901.448.6127
Shannon Brown
College of Medicine
SKBrown@utmck.edu | 865.305.5564
Janette Smith
College of Medicine
jsmit465@uthsc.edu | 901.448.3406
Kristi Forman
Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs
kforman1@uthsc.edu | 901.448.3285
Jessica Ross
Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs
jross52@uthsc.edu | 901.448.6393
Terri Fought
Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs
tfought@uthsc.edu | 901.448.3256
Keshia Giboney
Pharmacy
kgibone1@uthsc.edu | 901.448.5781
Flavenia Leaper
Pharmacy
fleaper@uthsc.edu | 901.448.1493
Janna Hays
Dentistry
jhays11@uthsc.edu | 901.448.3475
Peter Hunter
Finance and Operations
cnewell7@uthsc.edu | 901.448.6092
David Meyer
Finance and Operations
dmeyer8@uthsc.edu | 901.448.1766
Katora Jones
Finance and Operations
kjone151@uthsc.edu | 901.222.4600
Peggy Reisser
Finance and Operations
mreisser@uthsc.edu | 901.448.4072
Sarah Cheon
Finance and Operations
scheon@uthsc.edu | 901.448.2230
Kyle Smith
Finance and Operations
ksmit370@uthsc.edu | 901.448.3571
Elaine Robinson
Health Professions
erobin28@uthsc.edu | 901.448.8393
Patti Smith
Nursing
patti.smith@uthsc.edu | 901.448.6917
Ramona Jackson
Nursing
rpierce5@uthsc.edu | 901.448.6149
Yin Su
Research
ysu@uthsc.edu | 901.448.3701
Shenicia Richardson
Research
sricha37@uthsc.edu | 901.448.1236
Additional Information
Staff Senate seats are based on staff population. Each area has a non-exempt staff and exempt staff representative based on the population size of the area.
Contact any representative listed for your area for all thoughts, issues, or concerns you wish to bring to the Staff Senate.
What is the Employee Relations Advisory Board?
Each January, the Staff Senate will elect one person to represent them on the UT system-wide Employee Relations Board respectively. Each committee will also select agenda items for discussion at each Board meeting. Agenda Items submitted to the Board will be selected from the agenda items referred by the Committee. The Board meets semi-annual (spring and fall) at the different campuses of the University.
Employee Relations Advisory Board Accomplishments