KNOXVILLE, TN — Kerry Witcher, a longtime University of Tennessee administrator, has been selected as UT’s permanent vice president of development and alumni affairs and the president/CEO of the University of Tennessee Foundation, Inc. (UTFI). He has been serving in an interim role since January 2018. Witcher was one of four candidates vying for the position, which requires approval by the UT Board of Trustees. The search committee was chaired by Tim Cross, chancellor for the UT Institute of Agriculture.
“I appreciate the tremendously hard work the search committee put forth in making this recommendation,” UT Interim President Randy Boyd said. “Kerry’s continued leadership in building relationships with donors and alumni is critical to our long-term success and sustained financial well-being.
The UTFI post is a dual role position that is responsible for all alumni, development and advancement service operations at the University of Tennessee. It serves as the university system’s chief alumni and development officer responsible for planning, implementing and overseeing all system-wide campaigns. Additionally, this position serves in the lead role of coordinating and developing systems and programs to secure both broad-based alumni support as well as private philanthropic support for the University of Tennessee System and its stakeholders.
Witcher, a UT Knoxville alumnus, came to UT after a career in sales and marketing for a pharmaceutical company. He joined his alma mater as director of alumni programs in 1987. Prior to his current interim role, Witcher was a member of the executive team and chief operations officer for the UT Alumni Association, the 378,000-member organization serving alumni from all UT campuses.
From 1987 to 1992, Witcher was assistant vice president for annual giving at UT. He also served as interim executive director of the UT Alumni Association from September 2006 to May 2007.
A native of Lafayette, Tennessee, Witcher and his wife, Karen, live in Knoxville and have three children.
The University of Tennessee Foundation is an interdependent nonprofit corporation established in 2001 to support the University’s educational, research and outreach activities. The mission of the UT Foundation is to enrich the lives of University students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends through alumni engagement, financial stewardship, and private gift support.