University of Tennessee Athletics
Kayla Smith Promoted to Assistant AD for Student-Athlete Engagement
September 07, 2017 | General
Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics John Currie announced Thursday that Kayla Smith has been named Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Engagement and promoted to the department's senior staff.
Smith, a member of Tennessee's Thornton Athletics Student Life Center staff since September 2014, has most recently served as UT's Director of Student-Athlete Development.
She will continue to serve the Thornton Center while also working closely with Currie in support of Tennessee's world-class student-athlete experience.
Tiffany Daniels
Tiffany Daniels, Associate Commissioner/SWA, Southeastern Conference
Tiffany Daniels, Associate Commissioner/SWA, Southeastern Conference
"Kayla is a key contributor to the working group of student-athlete engagement professionals that represent the institutions of the Southeastern Conference. Her passion for the development of young people truly represents the conference's mission of educating student-athletes and preparing them to change the world. Her leadership is evident in the scholars and champions that represent the University of Tennessee at conference meetings, events and championships."
"Tennessee has long worked very hard to provide engagement opportunities for our student-athletes," Currie said. "Kayla—whose excellent organizational and communication skills in this area have impressed me tremendously over the past five months— finds innovative ways to ensure that we are at the forefront when it comes to community outreach, career discovery and preparing our young men and women for the next phases of life.
"Her expanded responsibilities as a member of our senior leadership team will enable her to have even more impact in the tactical and strategic direction of the department and she will bring important perspective to our decision-making process."
A former student-athlete at UC Santa Barbara, and native of Orange California, Smith—a standout member of the track & field team who still holds the women's school record in the shot put—earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Sociology as well as a master's degree in Education from UCSB.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to expand on my role within athletics and look forward to working closely with John Currie to ensure that we are making strides to become America's model intercollegiate athletics program," Smith said. "I also look forward to building on our already successful student-athlete development programming. This is an exciting opportunity to work even more closely with our student-athletes and administration to further enhance the Tennessee student-athlete experience."
Jennifer Davis is a senior rower and president of Tennessee's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a group that includes representatives from each sport on campus and offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes' lives on campus. The SAAC works closely with Smith.
"For many student-athletes, Kayla is the rock of the athletic department," Davis said. "She's incredibly passionate about 'One Tennessee' and unity amongst the entire student-athlete population. She makes things happen and does a great job bridging communication across all sports.
"Kayla also genuinely makes an effort to get to know each student-athlete on a personal level—where we're from, what our goals are. We know we can always go to her for advice. She's our advocate."
"The Southeastern Conference, thanks to Commissioner Sankey's vision, has been a leader in the development of positive dialogue among student-athletes and administrators, as well as involving student-athletes directly in the legislative process," Currie added. "Kayla plays a key role in ensuring that our department leadership is proactively engaged with our student-athletes."
Southeastern Conference Associate Commissioner/Senior Woman Administrator Tiffany Daniels is familiar with Smith's work on behalf of student-athletes.
"Kayla is a key contributor to the working group of student-athlete engagement professionals that represent the institutions of the Southeastern Conference," Daniels said. "Her passion for the development of young people truly represents the conference's mission of educating student-athletes and preparing them to change the world. Her leadership is evident in the scholars and champions that represent the University of Tennessee at conference meetings, events and championships."
Prior to coming to Tennessee, Smith held the position of Director of Academic Success, Eligibility, and Retention at her alma mater. Her duties there included oversight of student-athlete support services, academic mentoring and student-athlete development programs.
Smith is currently a member of Tennessee's Council for Diversity and Interculturalism (an advisory committee to the Chancellor) and also stands on the Community Service Committee for the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals.
