The University of Tennessee Knoxville
Tyvi Small has been named as the vice chancellor for diversity and engagement at the University of Knoxville. Small will report to the chancellor and serve on the chancellor’s cabinet. Small served as interim in the position for 10 months before becoming permanent in September 2019.
“Tyvi has proven himself to be a compassionate, thoughtful, and creative leader who has built strong relationships based on trust and respect across our campus and the broader community,” said Chancellor Donde Plowman. “Through his experience as a first-generation student and his various roles on campus, he understands the importance that mattering and belonging play in student success.”
Before joining the chancellor’s senior leadership team, Small spent 11 years in UT’s Haslam College of Business, most recently as executive director of talent management, diversity, and community relations. He is active in the Knoxville community, including roles with the Development Corporation of Knox County, Knoxville Area Urban League, Knoxville Utilities Board, Tennessee Valley Fair, and the Change Center.
Small has a bachelor’s degree in communication and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction, both from the University of South Florida. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in higher education from UT.
Clarence Vaughn III joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business as director of diversity and community relations in April 2020. He takes the reins from Tyvi Small, who was elevated to UT’s vice chancellor for diversity and engagement.
Vaughn will provide strategic leadership in creating an integrated vision and shared responsibility for facilitating the college’s diversity goals and for fostering and supporting a campus culture that respects and appreciates individual differences.
Vaughn earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Florida A&M University and an MBA in organizational management from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.
Stephen L. Mangum, dean of the college and Stokely Foundation Leadership Chair lauded Vaughn’s hiring as an important element in furthering the college’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.
“Clarence will guide the diversity and community relations team and serve as a key member of our college’s leadership,” Mangum says. “He will work with the college and other stakeholders, playing a critical role in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and engagement throughout the college.”
He previously served as executive director of the Police Advisory Review Committee for the City of Knoxville. Through an independent review of police action, Vaughn worked to strengthen relations between Knoxville’s police officers and the citizens they serve. Before working for the city, he had a distinguished career in banking, including serving as director of diversity and inclusion with U.S. Bank.
Vaughn has strong connections and opportunities for outreach throughout the Knoxville community. He chairs the Knoxville Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission and is a board member of the Knoxville Botanical Garden, Helen Ross McNabb Center and the National Association of Civil Oversight for Law Enforcement. He also is a current member of UT’s Chancellor’s Associates.