Campus Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Tyler Forrest as Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, effective January 1, 2021.
The vice chancellor for finance and administration is one of the most important positions on campus. Dr. Richard Brown has worked with Tyler for several years to prepare him for this role. Tyler has proven himself to be a team player who understands the UT and UTC budget and has built trust in his relationships at every level. President Boyd and UT Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Miller fully support Tyler’s appointment.
Tyler has demonstrated continual professional growth, with consistent advancement through the financial and budget ranks. He joined the UTC staff in January 2007 as a student worker in Auxiliary Services, reconciling ledgers. Shortly after earning his undergraduate degree in finance, Tyler began financial analyst duties before moving to the Budget and Finance Department—progressing from assistant director to associate director to director to executive director.
In 2016, Tyler was named Assistant Vice Chancellor for Budget and Financial Services. The following year, he was named Associate Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance. His new role ensures continuity of the University’s budget and finance functions.
Tyler was a member of the inaugural University of Tennessee Executive Leadership Institute cohort and served as a member of numerous UTC and UT System committees and task forces.
As a student, Tyler gained incredible insight into how our University operates. His involvement in campus activities and government included serving as president of the Student Government Association. After his sophomore year, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen appointed him to the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, where Tyler was exposed to the operations of all UT campuses and the UT System.
Tyler graduated magna cum laude with his UTC bachelor’s degree and earned an MBA from our institution. He is nearing completion of a doctorate of philosophy in learning and leadership from UTC. His doctoral dissertation is titled “Tennessee’s Performance Funding Model: A Mixed Methods Study Designed to Predict Future Success.” He is a thought leader on this subject, both as a scholar and having worked with the model since its implementation.
A national search to fill the associate vice chancellor of finance and administration position, where Tyler previously served, has been launched. Vicki Farnsworth, Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, will chair the search committee. Chris Sherbesman, who currently serves as the Executive Director of Budget and Finance, will serve as the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration until the conclusion of the search.
Please join me in congratulating Tyler as he moves into his new position.