Meet the IE Team

Dr. Jorge Pérez joined the UT System in 2018 after twenty years in Georgia, where he was vice provost for institutional effectiveness, SACSCOC accreditation liaison, and professor of information systems at Kennesaw State University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in information systems from Florida State University. Digital literacy is the focus of his current research.

The recipient of a prestigious American Council on Education (ACE) Fellowship, Jorge spent the 2013 academic year in Boston analyzing the strategic plans of constituents of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. He has served on the boards of the Informing Science Institute, Latin American Association, Atlanta Council on International Relations, and Atlanta Electronic Commerce Forum. Jorge has industry experience as a systems analyst, web developer, and consultant. He was inducted into the PhD Project Hall of Fame in 2019.

Jorge is an Ironman Lake Placid finisher who enjoys running, cycling, teaching spin classes, and hiking with his rescue pit bull, Murphy.

Dr. Brian Hester, Director of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence, has been with the University of Tennessee System since 2010. He has served in various committees and service roles with UT over this time period. Brian has also been an active member of the Tennessee Association for Institutional Research for the past eight years – serving in leadership roles as secretary from 2016 through 2017 and most recently as vice president in 2018 and president in 2019.

Born and raised in Knoxville, Brian is a graduate of Bearden High School and a three-time graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he earned a bachelor’s in English, a Master’s of Business Administration, and a PhD in Higher Education Administration. Before joining the UT System, Brian worked in the private sector in business management. He currently serves as a board member of St. George Greek Orthodox Church and has served as its treasurer numerous times over the past fifteen years.

Brian, his wife Alice, son Nicholas and daughter Sophia live in Knoxville, and they spend most of their free-time together – playing sports, gardening, and enjoying the many parks and nature areas around Knoxville and East Tennessee.

Taylor joined the Institutional Research team as an intern during her time as an undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and then started as a full-time employee in the fall of 2019. She primarily works on submitting all student data to THEC as well as the data collection and reporting for the Board of Trustees meetings. In her free time, Taylor enjoys spending her days with her husband, Logan, and two Labrador Retrievers, Mac and Olive. She also enjoys running, reading, gardening, and trying new sourdough recipes in the kitchen.

Michael Richards is a native Tennessean and a research associate for the Institutional Effectiveness team. His work includes providing data visualizations for ad hoc projects along with UT Transparency and Impact. Michael also works alongside the SMART Policy Network to help reduce opioid addiction in Tennessee by providing legislators and policymakers with well-designed and created materials that expose the effects that opioid addiction has on Tennessee. He has a bachelor’s degree in Geography which he earned from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville in 2020.

Rachel joined the Business Intelligence team in 2021 after working with the University of Tennessee Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development as a data analyst. Rachel primarily works on ETL and querying and modeling data using SQL Server, Analysis Services (SSAS), and Integration Services (SSIS). Prior to her time at UT, she was a research specialist and data analyst with the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy where she worked on a variety of community data and nonprofit evaluation projects. Rachel holds a master’s degree in data science and analytics and a bachelor’s degree in statistics and sociology, both from Grand Valley State University.

Jake joined the Business Intelligence team as an intern in the summer of 2021 and began his position as a software developer later that year. He primarily works on creating data visualizations in tools such as Power BI, including assisting with the querying of data and building models to power those visualizations. Jake has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Middle Tennessee State University. In his free time, Jake enjoys spending time with his wife Blake and rock climbing – both in East Tennessee and across the country.

Nick Humensky joined the UT System on October 1, 2022, as a software developer. He has a Bachelor of Arts and an MBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Nick’s professional background is in data analytics. Outside of work, he enjoys lifting weights, golfing, and spending time with his dog Alfie.

Jimmie Whittenbarger joined the University of Tennessee System on October 1, 2022, as a software developer. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Management Information Systems from Tennessee Tech University and has worked in the business intelligence field for over a decade. He primarily works on creating data visualizations in tools such as Power BI, including building datasets to power those visualizations. In his free time, Jimmie enjoys playing a variety of musical instruments and spending time with his dog Klaus.

Cheryl was born and raised in Missouri but spent the last 26 years in Illinois where she and her husband, Matthew, raised their three sons. Cheryl holds a bachelor’s degree in history degree from the University of Missouri and a master’s in history from Illinois State University. She has been an institutional research and strategic planning professional for ten years and is an active member of both the Association of Institutional Research and Society for College and University Planning.

Cheryl and her husband fell in love with Knoxville while visiting their son, a UTK graduate student, and decided to make Knoxville their forever home. They enjoy outdoor living, traveling, and watching all NCAA sports.

Ashley joined the Institutional Effectiveness team in April 2023. She holds bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish from South Dakota State University, a master’s degree in English from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from University of Louisville. Prior to joining the UT System, Ashley worked at Auburn University for nearly five years where she began as faculty in English and served as Interim Director of Composition. Later in her time at Auburn, she served in the Office of the Provost, where she coordinated the university’s successful reaffirmation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). In addition to her role as the project manager and lead writer and editor, she designed assessment systems for non-instructional units and helped develop a long-term strategy for institutional effectiveness.
Originally from South Dakota, Ashley has enjoyed living across the southeast but is excited to settle in East Tennessee as it has long been her favorite part of the country. Outside of the office, she enjoys going on walks with her rescue pit bull Mr. Magoo, visiting local breweries, and keeping up with the latest true crime podcasts and documentaries.