Dr. Donde Plowman became the chancellor at UT-Knoxville in 2019 and will be known to the HEA audience as the person that hired Dr. Danny White to help turnaround the athletic department. Plowman is a builder and organizational scientist so much of this interview focuses on changes she made, why she thinks Dr. White was able to get buy-in with Vols fans, and shares some change management techniques for new leaders.

• 1:20 – For those that don’t understand the role of a chancellor or president, what are some of the things you deal with in managing such a large institution
• 3:05 – Can you explain the composition (people) and the purpose of the UTK Campus Advisory Board?
• 6:05 – How did the Peyton Manning and UT relationship evolve into a professor of practice position? Any details on what he has or will be doing in this role?
• 11:05 – Everyone in athletics understands how Danny White helped lead the transformation of the athletic department at UCF but I think there was some skepticism on whether he could recreate it at UT. It sure seems like the department is thriving under his leadership. Thoughts on why he was able to get the buy-in from folks in Knoxville?
• 16:15 – You are described as an organizational scientist with research that includes the topics of leadership, change management, and strategic decision-making. When you arrived at UT as the chancellor in 2019, or even during the interview process, what and how did you examine what needed to change?
• 25:40 – What would you recommend to someone new to a leadership position, like a new athletic director, and how they can come in and analyze the place to know what needs changed?
• 30:00 – What does a Chancellor Plowman-led Cabinet meeting look like and how often do you all meet as a group and/or individually?
• 35:15 – What do you think about my independent study on tying academic program review to athletic department evaluations?