Veteran Administrator Donna Thomas to Retire in July

"It has been an incredible joy to work for a university I love and with student-athletes who blessed my life in ways they will never know. I am forever grateful to Joan Cronan for giving me a chance and allowing me to live a dream."
- Donna Thomas

University of Tennessee Senior Associate Athletics Director Donna Thomas has announced that she is retiring on July 15.

Thomas has spent 30 years working with Tennessee Athletics and currently serves as UT's senior woman administrator and the department's chief of staff. Her duties include the establishment of department policy and procedure, serving as the Deputy Title IX officer for athletics, oversight of the track & field and cross-country programs, management of the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame and several other operational responsibilities.

A New Tazewell, Tennessee, native who graduated from Claiborne County High School and began her career on Rocky Top as a student manager for legendary women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, Thomas ascended to the top advisor role under visionary Tennessee women's AD Joan Cronan. Thomas has since served in a senior-level leadership capacity under three different athletic directors following the merger of the men's and women's athletic departments.

"Over the last 30 years, Donna Thomas has made a significant impact on University of Tennessee Athletics," current UT Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. "Early in her career, she was one of the people that helped build the great Lady Vol brand. More recently, Donna stepped into many key roles when the departments combined. She will certainly be missed in our building and especially in my office. Her experience and knowledge of the national athletics administration issues will be hard to replace.

"We wish Donna all the best in her retirement, and we all thank her for her hard work and loyalty to our university."

Working side-by-side with Cronan prior to the merger, Thomas was responsible for numerous aspects of the former women's athletics department, some of which included oversight of facility construction and renovation, management of the Lady Vols' portion of the UT apparel contract, development and implementation of department policies and procedures and oversight of scheduling of competition for all sports. She also was the department liaison to the campus, serving as a member of multiple campus committees.

"Congrats to Donna on a great career," Cronan said. "I'm grateful to her for making a difference in so many ways in athletes' and administrators' lives. Donna was not only influential at UT but also had an impact throughout the SEC and NCAA."

A two-time UT graduate, Thomas was instrumental in the addition of several women's athletic programs at her alma mater, including golf, rowing, soccer and softball. She also played a key role in the search and hiring process for many head coaches and was the women's basketball sport administrator for many of the Lady Vols basketball national championships.

"We're all so grateful for the impact that Donna has had on our lives," Lady Vols basketball All-American and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings said. "The passion she has for UT and all of the student-athletes that she served has been unwavering. Even though she won't be there when I come back and visit, her impact and standards of excellence will still remain."

Thomas's fingerprint is present across UT's athletic facilities collection. She oversaw the recent renovations at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium, which included construction of the Boyd Family Track and Field Center, Basler Broadcast Center and Phillips Pavilion. Thomas also led the drive that led to the creation of the Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course.

Thomas spent the 2011-12 academic year as the interim director of the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center. In that role, she restructured and reorganized the Thornton Center staff, added new programming and services for student-athletes and began updating the facility. She spent a great deal of time speaking to groups across campus to learn more about academic programs while sharing insight on the requirements for students who represent Tennessee in 20 sports.

In July of 2011, Thomas completed a two-year term as co-chair of UT Knoxville's Council on Diversity and Interculturalism. Additionally, she served as a member of the search committee for the Assistant Dean and Director of Undergraduate Admissions, a member of the campus's Task Force on Civility and Community and was an integral member of the committee for the Celebration of African American Achievement.

Off campus, Thomas has served as the chair of the NCAA Division I Track and Field Committee and directed multiple championship events for the SEC and the NCAA.

"Donna is the type of person that makes UT so special," Tennessee All-American sprinter and Bowerman Award winner Christian Coleman said. "She cares about the athletes like family and has so much pride in the orange.

"With people like Donna in my corner, I had no choice but to wear the 'Power T' with pride. I'm forever grateful for her listening, giving me a chance and making my UT experience incredible. I'll miss not seeing Donna in her office whenever I'm back on campus."

University of Tennessee Athletics

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