Dr. Hope Marie Adkins

Originally from Church Hill, Tennessee, Hope Marie Adkins is a graduate of Volunteer High School.  She earned her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in Family and Consumer Sciences Education from Carson-Newman University.  While at Carson-Newman, she held several student leadership positions and received several institutional honors, including the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award-the institution’s highest honor awarded to a graduating senior, and the Braden Family and Consumer Sciences Outstanding Senior Award.

Hope earned a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from Purdue University and completed her PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  Her dissertation, A View From the Top: University Administrators’ Perceptions of Crisis Preparedness and Response, examined how senior leaders understand, interpret, and navigate crisis preparedness and response within higher education institutions.

Hope serves as Program Director for Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Life at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she leads divisional strategy, large-scale initiatives, and cross-functional collaboration.  She began her career in public education as a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at West High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, before transitioning to higher education at her alma mater, Carson-Newman University, where she previously held roles in academic operations and outreach and in alumni relations and advancement.

Dr. Adkins professional interests include student access to higher education, organizational strategy and crisis leadership, leadership development, and advancing the student experience through mission-driven initiatives.