Kim White and Michael Jones
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor Steven R. Angle and Gary W. Rollins College of Business Dean Robert Dooley—who will assume the role of interim chancellor beginning Jan. 1, 2025—jointly made the following executive leadership announcement on Thursday.
Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Executive Director of the UC Foundation Kim White, who previously decided to transition into a new role in 2025, has agreed to continue as vice chancellor to ensure the continuity of UTC fundraising efforts at this critical time.
She will remain in her role until a new UTC chancellor is named.
Dr. Jerold L. Hale, UTC provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced the appointment of Dr. Michael Jones as interim dean for the Rollins College of Business.
“We are working together to ensure a seamless transition and that UTC continues to move forward,” the shared statement said.
“These two exceptional leaders will help ensure that important campus initiatives continue to move forward and that we maintain the momentum we have gained over the last several years. Please join us in thanking Vice Chancellor White and Interim Dean Jones for their service.”
Dr. Angle announced on Nov. 5 that he was transitioning from his leadership role to join the faculty after serving as chancellor since 2013. Dr. Dooley, who has served as the dean of the College of Business since 2011, was appointed interim chancellor by UT System President Randy Boyd on Nov. 13.
Ms. White joined the UTC Executive Leadership Team in December 2021 during a difficult time in higher education following the COVID-19 pandemic. A UTC alumna with 18 years of experience holding multiple volunteer leadership positions at UTC and within the UT System, she has worked to increase philanthropy on campus by rebuilding advancement and alumni engagement teams.
UTC is coming off the single largest fundraising year in University history, with $60.1 million raised from 6,762 donors during fiscal year 2024.
“We appreciate Vice Chancellor White’s commitment to ensure that this critical work continues during our search for a new chancellor,” Dr. Angle and Dr. Dooley said.
Dr. Jones has been a member of the Rollins College of Business for 27 years, serving as senior associate dean of the College for the last 14 years and as interim dean in 2018. He also has served as head of the Department of Finance and the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship—as well as the Director of Accreditation for the College of Business at UTC.
He attended the University of Alabama, graduating summa cum laude in finance before obtaining master’s and doctoral degrees in marketing. His areas of expertise include marketing research, customer satisfaction and retention, and retailing and services marketing.
Dr. Jones has published more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles. His research on the marketing of mutual funds has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time and Money. He has consulted with numerous companies in the areas of marketing research and marketing strategy.