Institutional DEI Team

Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

she/her

sianders@sewanee.edu
931-598-1154

Dr. Sibby Anderson-Thompkins is Sewanee's Inaugural Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer. Dr. Thompkins brings over twenty-five years as a senior-level administrator in higher education with extensive experience leading diversity, equity, and inclusion-related initiatives and campus-wide strategic planning, assessments and program evaluation, faculty diversity recruitment, and postdoctoral and graduate student professional development. During her extensive career, she has held deanships in student affairs and academic advising at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Hampshire College, and Agnes Scott College. Before her arrival to Sewanee, she served as the special advisor to the chancellor and provost for equity and inclusion, interim chief diversity and professor of practice in Public Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Director, Inclusive Excellence

she/her
rlfreder@sewanee.edu
931-598-1241

Dr. Rachel Fredericks holds a bachelor of science degree in Finance from "The" Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Arts degree in International Development from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Fredericks also holds a PhD in Community Engagement from Point Park University.  She has a background in teaching first-year seminar courses, guest lecturing on diversity and inclusion fundamentals, human resource management, program administration, data analytics, and, community outreach. She has lived, studied, and volunteered abroad in over seven countries, and brings a variety of experiences from both non-profit and corporate positions. She aspires to learn and serve the Sewanee family to foster belonging, establish equitable support for all cultures, and deepen community connections.

Senior Director, Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (EEOT)
smgray@sewanee.edu
931-598-1420

Dr. Sylvia Gray has served in the arena of higher education for over a decade. Gray's experience includes the following positions:

• Director of operations for an all girls non-profit agency
• A prior athletic trainer in sports medicine for several male dominated sports
• A director of university housing for students
• A director of university housing for multicultural families
• A senior conduct hearing officer
• A coordinator of a women's center
• A coordinator of multicultural affairs
• A leadership facilitator
• A Greek life/risk management advisor
• A certified coach for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Preference Assessment (MBTI)
• A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Trainer and Facilitator
• And an adjunct professor of Higher Education Administration.
• She now serves as the Title IX Coordinator at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

Gray’s experience is rooted in educating, training, storytelling, and engaging with a variety of populations. Gray’s role as Sewanee’s Title IX Coordinator includes overseeing compliance efforts and advising the executive offices, faculty, staff, students, clergy, and the broader Sewanee community on issues as it pertains to Title IX.

Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

she/her

tahamilt@sewanee.edu

931-598-1496

In her role, Tammy works closely with Dr. Anderson-Thompkins, the DEI staff, and the institution's key internal & external stakeholders to forward the DEI mission, vision, and goals. She has an extensive yet transferrable professional background in healthcare, specializing in identifying social and cultural determinants within historically underrepresented populations and addressing disparities that adversely impact underserved and marginalized individuals and communities.

Tammy holds a Master of Science degree in Healthcare Administration from Trevecca Nazarene University and a Bachelor of Arts degree with emphasis on Science and Business Administration from Middle Tennessee State University. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her three children when they are home from college, kayaking on the lake, and hiking to one of our area’s beautiful falls.

Assistant Dean for Equity and Career Readiness

she/her

cmmeyer@sewanee.edu
931-598-3208

Cassie's work focuses on ensuring that all Sewanee students - particularly those from historically underrepresented backgrounds - are empowered to make the most of their Sewanee education, through coaching, career readiness support, and mentorship programming. Prior to this role, Cassie was the inaugural Director of Dialogue Across Difference Programs, where she equipped students, faculty, and staff with the skills to navigate difficult conversations. In both of these roles, Cassie finds meaning in helping students to explore questions of who they want to be in college and beyond.

Before coming to Sewanee, Cassie worked for over a decade at Interfaith Youth Core, equipping liberal arts colleges to be more inclusive of religiously diverse students. Cassie has an MA in American Religious History from the University of Chicago and a BA in Religious Studies from Lawrence University. She has taught at Northwestern University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the University of Chicago and is a past contributing editor to NASPA's Journal of College and Character. Her recent publications include chapters in The Oxford Handbook on Religion and Peacebuilding, and Educating About Religious Diversity and Interfaith Engagement: A Handbook for Student Affairs.

Interim Dean of the College

she/her
bsandlin@sewanee.edu
931-598-1254

Associate Dean of the College since 2019, Dr. Sandlin’s primary role is to support faculty at all stages of their career in all areas of their work. She oversees the Center for Teaching, which she co-directed for four years prior to taking on her current role. In addition, Dr. Sandlin is privileged to serve as Sewanee’s liaison to the Posse Foundation. She has been teaching in the Spanish department since 2004. She has published several articles on contemporary Puerto Rican poets and has led workshops and published on faculty development topics ranging from equitable teaching practices to inclusive syllabus design to community building. Dr. Sandlin has participated in extensive professional development related to DEI and inclusive teaching. She earned her Ph.D. in Latin American literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The first in her family to go to college, Dr. Sandlin is an advocate and mentor for first gen students. In her free time, she watches a lot of movies and volunteers in community theatres.

Director of ADA

he/him
mabrown@sewanee.edu
931-598-1229

Matt has an extensive background in the areas of Disability Services, Human Development and learning, Counseling, ASD support, and LGBT advocacy. Matt’s experiences includes the following positions:

Adjunct Professor of Human Services 

Advisor to Delta Alpha Pi - Disability Honors fraternity 

Disability Services Access Coordinator 

Higher Education Case Manager 

Director of Disability Service Office 

A leadership facilitator 

Masters trained in clinical mental counseling 

QPR Trainer 

Bystanders Intervention Trainer 

And as a private Neurodiversity Coach  

Matt’s role is to promote accessibility across the University of the South by setting up policies, procedures, being an advocate for individuals with disabilities, educating the campus community, and working with lead administrators to ensure accessibility is being considered at every opportunity.

Director of Human Resources Development

she/her
jewelch@sewanee.edu
931-598-3505

Jessica Welch was recently named the Director of Human Resources Development where she is responsible for delivering a full range of HR services to designated departments across campus by partnering with management teams along with providing direct support to faculty and staff with matters related to employment. Jessica seeks to broaden the University community’s understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion related initiatives, practices, and opportunities by expanding upon the DEI work currently being conducted in HR, continually building our workforce’s DEI competence around campus.

Jessica is a first gen college graduate as the first in her family to attend a 4-year institution. She received her B.S in Plant Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Jessica holds the professional SHRM certification and is a graduate of the University’s Center for Leadership program. Jessica recently actively engaged in the ACS CREATE grant in 2021 where she developed a Mitigating Bias in Hiring training. She is currently leading her second Brené Brown Dare to Lead™ book group for supervisors.

In her free time, you can find Jessica in Winchester with her family, including her husband, daughter, son, 2 dogs and a cat. If it is a beautiful weekend, she will likely be camping by the lake.

Assistant Director of Admissions

she/her
favaughn@sewanee.edu
931-598-1435

Faith Vaughn currently serves as an Assistant Director of Admission at Sewanee : University of the South since 2019. Her primary responsibilities include a travel territory of Indiana, Kentucky, and all of Tennessee excluding Middle TN. She also serves homeschool students, co-leading the transfer student application process, and intercultural recruitment efforts within the office. Faith is also involved in various diversity enrichment/mentor programs such as Sewanee Connect, Camp College, and ASC grant approved DEI facilitation program. She also leads "Perspective Sewanee", a program for admitted prospective students to come to campus and celebrate diversity, meet other students who look like them, and talk about life at Sewanee. 

Faith received her bachelor's degree from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in 2015 with a degree in Allied Health and a minor in Public Health. In 2016, she accepted a position in the Office of Admissions at ETSU as an Admissions Counselor. In 2018, she received her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis with a concentration in Student Personnel. 

Outside of Sewanee, Faith currently serves as the Vice President for Communication for Tennessee Association for College Admission and Registrars Officers (TACRAO) and a Board of Director. Faith loves to cook and take at least one spontaneous trip a year.