Dr. DeAnna Beasley and Terrence Banks
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Dr. DeAnna Beasley and Terrence Banks have been selected to the prestigious 2024-2025 All-Southern Conference Faculty and Staff Team.
Beasley, a UC Foundation associate professor in the Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, and Banks, associate director of recruitment in Undergraduate Admissions, were chosen to represent UTC alongside faculty and staff members from each of the 10 SoCon institutions. Although selection criteria vary by school, all honorees are recognized for their significant contributions to service, campus life, teaching and research.
Award recipients will receive an engraved plaque presented by Southern Conference Commissioner Michael Cross at the Mocs men’s basketball game on Jan. 9, 2025, vs. the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
“Winning this award is a huge honor,” said Dr. DeAnna Beasley, “and I feel very fortunate that I came to UTC for my academic career.” Photo by Angela Foster.
Beasley, a UTC faculty member since 2016, is widely recognized for her dedication to both teaching and research. Since coming to the University, she has taught across all levels of the biology curriculum, including courses such as Principles of Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Ant Ecology and Urban Ecology. In her lab courses, she creates hands-on learning environments where students can engage in research and connect with the scientific community.
Her commitment to students extends beyond the classroom, as she actively mentors both undergraduate and graduate students in research focused on urban ecology and the effects of urbanization on insect populations and biodiversity. Beasley has garnered more than $1.8 million in external funding for her research, including leading a three-year National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program that aims to study the socio-ecological role of urban greenways.
She also has several citizen science projects that are ongoing throughout the city. As an example, visitors to four area parks—Renaissance, Heritage, Carver and Warner—will find camera traps documenting the change in native areas of the parks.
“Winning this award is a huge honor,” Beasley said, “and I feel very fortunate that I came to UTC for my academic career. It was close to family and it has allowed me to do the things that I really enjoy doing—which is mentoring and engaging with the community about science.
“I feel like I’ve really been able to do that and do it well here, so it’s very nice to be recognized and honored in this way.”
To date, Beasley has published 10 papers with student coauthors and interdisciplinary collaborators. In recognition of her teaching excellence, she was honored by her UTC colleagues with the Dr. John R. Freeman Award in September 2023.
She is also a dedicated campus leader—serving on both the Honors College Advisory Committee and the Africana Studies Advisory Committee—and manages the Biology, Geology and Environmental Science department’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Beasley attended Wofford University in South Carolina as an undergraduate—where she was a four-year letterwinner on that SoCon institution’s soccer team and one of the team’s captains her senior year.
“Talk about coming full circle. My experience as an athlete shaped the way I approached my life; it gave me a sense of discipline and an ability to prioritize goals,” Beasley said. “Being a student-athlete really forces you to do that because you have to balance being a competitive athlete with performing well in the classroom, and that is an aspect of my life I’m very proud of—being able to play for four years, graduate with my biology degree, then go on and pursue my Ph.D.
“It certainly wasn’t planned this way, but I love that I’m still within the Southern Conference. I feel like it has nurtured and supported my career from undergrad through my faculty experience, and I’m very grateful.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wofford, Beasley matriculated to the University of South Carolina and earned a Ph.D. in biological sciences. After spending three years as a postdoctoral research scholar at North Carolina State University, she joined the UTC faculty in August 2016 as an assistant professor.
Reflecting on her time at UTC, she expressed gratitude for the supportive environment that allows her to pursue her passions: mentoring students and fostering a deeper connection between the community and science.
“When you’re thinking about ways in which to engage students, you have to take some risks in terms of being able to try something new or tweak a course a certain way, and I’ve always felt like I’ve had the support and the ability to take those risks or try something new,” Beasley said. “My colleagues and (department head) Gretchen (Potts) have always been enthusiastic and supportive of those sorts of ideas and initiatives, and it’s really allowed me to think creatively in terms of how to engage with the students and how to engage with the community here in Chattanooga. So this is very cool.”
“Winning this award is super exciting. It’s validating. It’s reassuring,” said Terrence Banks. “It definitely helps me feel like I’ve solidified my place as a staff member here at UTC.” Photo by Angela Foster.
Banks, a first-generation college student who began working at UTC during his undergraduate days, is a two-time alumnus of the University—earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2013 and a Master of Public Administration degree in 2019.
After graduating from Raleigh Egypt High School in Memphis in 2008—where he was a three-sport athlete participating in soccer, golf and tennis—Banks traveled across the state to come to UTC and quickly made Chattanooga his new home. During his freshman year, he began working as a counselor for the GEAR UP program—a federally funded initiative aimed at increasing college readiness and success for low-income middle and high school students by providing academic support, mentoring and resources—which became the launch point for his future career.
As an undergraduate, he worked in UTC Housing and Residence Life as a conference assistant and resident assistant. After working as a graduate assistant in the Office of Equity and Diversity for two years, he moved into Undergraduate Admissions in 2015—progressing from admissions counselor to senior counselor to diversity outreach coordinator to assistant director. He was named associate director of recruitment in 2022.
“This University means everything to me. Honestly, it has changed my trajectory,” he said. “UTC has been instrumental in developing the man that stands before you in terms of being confident in my ability to speak, in terms of wanting to be a difference maker, because before I came to college—I just figured I’d get a college degree and go back home.
“Finding my space in Chattanooga meant a lot to me; it’s very different from what I was used to. So I just opened myself up to the city—and Chattanooga and UTC received me very well.”
Banks’ sister, Tamia, eventually followed him to UTC. So did his youngest brother, Kenyon Phillips, who received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2021.
He smiled as he talked about a younger cousin who’s a senior at his high school alma mater in Memphis—and she was admitted to UTC in a “Moc Minute” at a recent Power C Tour stop. “That was exciting,” Banks said. “We are trying to keep UTC in the family.”
In his current role, Banks supervises a team of admissions counselors and leads the recruitment process, including tracking recruitment strategies.
“Winning this award is super exciting. It’s validating. It’s reassuring. It definitely helps me feel like I’ve solidified my place as a staff member here at UTC,” he said. “I’ve definitely run into times where I’m like, ‘Am I impactful on campus? Do I make a difference?’ Receiving an award like this definitely helps me feel like I’m making an impact at UTC.
“Thanks to the people that I’ve met here on campus, including (former chief of staff) Terry Denniston, (former chief diversity officer) Dr. Brian Samuels, and—of course—my current director, Jason Lyon … the people I get a chance to work with have just helped me feel more instrumental in the development of myself and the impact I make with students.”
Banks is well-known across campus thanks to the role he often plays in emceeing events—including Convocation, the statewide Power C Tour, and this August’s Olivia Reeves Olympic watch party. Over the past year, among other endeavors, he has coordinated volunteers for Operation Move In, been a judge for the Homecoming lip sync competition, served on the “I Love UTC Week” planning committee, and spoke at multiple sessions during New Student and Family Orientation.
In addition, he works with the Mocs athletics department on promotional videos for football games—and has even dressed as Scrappy for events when needed.
“Any time our athletics department reaches out about helping with anything, I try to say ‘yes’ as quickly as I can just because I’m a huge fan of UTC athletics,” he said.
Past UTC recipients of Southern Conference faculty and staff awards
- Mike Jones (2015-2016)
- Gretchen Potts and Lisa Tarr (2016-2017)
- Valerie Rutledge and Emily Quinn (2017-2018)
- Jamie Harvey and Melanie Ribaric (2018-2019)
- Debbie Ingram and Terry Denniston (2019-2020)
- Chris Smith and Endia Butler (2020-2021)
- Mark Schorr and Christopher Stokes (2021-2022)
- Michael Thompson and Will Watson (2022-2023)
- Liz Hathaway and Theresa Blackman (2023-2024)
SoCon 2024-2025 faculty and staff honorees
- UTC: DeAnna Beasley and Terrence Banks
- The Citadel: Sarah Imam and Heyward G. Hutson III
- East Tennessee State University: Taylor Stevenson and Stacy Cummings-Onks
- Furman University: Tim Wardle and Rolyn Rollins
- Mercer University: Philip T. McCreanor and Michael Junod
- University of North Carolina-Greensboro: Malcolm Schug and Kristy Howell
- Samford University: Joe Cory and JeNorri Armstead
- Virginia Military Institute: Mattie Smith and LTC Shannon Eskam
- Western Carolina University: Ericka Zimmerman and Holli Stillman
- Wofford University: Jessica Tomkins and Wofford Workday Rockstars—Trey Arrington, Kent Brannon, Courtney Dobbins, Lani Foster, Brittany McDowell, Franklin Pettit and Raymond Ruff
Click here for the official Southern Conference announcement.
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