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.
Jennii Brashier
College of Medicine
jbrashie@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Cynthia Tooley
College of Medicine
ctooley@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Charles Hicks, Jr.
College of Medicine
chicks20@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Prabhu Namburu
College of Medicine
pnamburu@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Shannon Brown
College of Medicine
SKBrown@utmck.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Nivea Wilson
College of Medicine
nwilso34@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Tia Coleman
College of Medicine
tcolem18@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Michelle Bollenbach
College of Medicine
mbollen1@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Megg Doolin
Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs
mdoolin@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Porsha Toney
Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs
ptoney@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Mercedes Tolbert
Pharmacy
etolber2@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Keshia Young
Pharmacy
kgibone1@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Doug Fort
Dentistry
wfort@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Brack Henderson
Finance and Operations
bhende18@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
McKenzie Scofield
Finance and Operations
mscofie2@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Katie Matheny
Finance and Operations
Katie@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Juanita McPhee
Finance and Operations
jmcphee2@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Travis Johnson
Finance and Operations
tjohn200@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Leigh Roman
Nursing
lroman2@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Katie Mason
Nursing
kwhit101@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Nick Ayers
Research
nayers2@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Tammy McCray
Research
tander45@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Santoshia Fitchpatrick
Health Professions sfitchp1@uthsc.edu | Exempt Staff
Ann Bailey
Health Professions
abaile72@uthsc.edu | Non-exempt Staff
Shanta Haynes
Graduate Health Sciences
shampto4@uthsc.edu | 901.448.4465
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.
The Staff Senate Officers shall consist of a President, President-elect, Parliamentarian, Secretary, Communications Coordinator, Membership and Assessment Coordinator, Employee Engagement Coordinator, and Employee Relations Advisory Board Representatives. The Staff Senate Executive Committee (Executive Committee) shall consist of the Staff Senate Officers, the Past-President (ex-officio), and a representative from Human Resources (ex-officio).
Past-President (ex-officio)
Human Resources Representative (ex-officio)
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