Jean Dake
Jean Dake received the Lifetime Membership Award by the Tennessee Association of Colleges and Employers (TACE) in April 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dake serves as Director of the Career and Student Employment Center at UTC. She began her career at the University in August 1975.
“Jean Dake is an exemplary leader within the arena of career service for our campus, our state, and the region for many years, and has consistently served the needs of students and the UTC campus community with a great deal of care, passion, and professionalism,” said Dr. John Delaney, Vice Chancellor of Student Development at UTC. “Through her outstanding work, Jean has impacted the lives and the career paths of thousands of UTC students and alumni in significant ways, and many students can point to Jean’s guidance and the fine work of the Career Services Office under her leadership as the starting point for their successful career tracks.”
TACE is an association of Tennessee colleges and universities, state and technical institutes, and employers of students and graduates of these institutions with common goals: to enhance understanding and cooperation among institutions of higher education and their employers; promote high standards of education, work, and ethical practices, and the general professional development of individuals within the profession; and plan and implement programs addressing pertinent issues at the state and local level.
Dake received the Lifetime Membership Award from TACE for “her many years of service in introducing students to employers through creative and consistent avenues and for her years of membership in the organization which included holding the office of President in the previously known Tennessee College Placement Association (TCPA).” She served as president in 1988-89.
“Jean easily connects well with students, alumni, employers, and friends of UTC to build very positive partnerships and relationships, and her broad network of colleagues within the field of career services is simply staggering. Jean is a wonderful example of the servant-leader we want our students to emulate, and she serves in her many UTC and community leadership roles with great poise, patience, and a clear sense of purpose and mission,” Delaney continued.
Dake earned both her undergraduate degree in education and her Master’s in Education: Community Counseling from UTC. Most recently, she has served as president of the Exempt Staff Council (ESC) and has been an active participant since the group’s inception.
“Her list of contributions to the UTC community is lengthy and impressive, but the quality of the person and her generous and unfailing investment in people stand as the true measure of Jean Dake’s powerful impact on the lives of our students and our University. For nearly four decades, there are few members of the UTC Family who have not been helped and supported directly by Jean Dake and her desire to support each student’s success during his or her journey at UTC and well beyond,” Delaney said.
