UT Women’s Senior Associate Athletics Director Donna Thomas is now serving as the interim director of the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center. She will oversee the center in addition to her current position as senior associate athletic director.
Eric Brey, who has been serving as director of the Thornton Center, has assumed a position in the Student Success Center working with Ruth Darling, assistant provost for UT Knoxville.
Thomas is in her 20th year with the Lady Volunteers and is involved in multiple campus committees. She is co-chair of the Council on Diversity and Interculturalism and has worked closely as the representative for men’s and women’s athletics with the Thornton Center. Thomas is also the campus’ representative for NCAA athletic certification. She is also responsible for numerous aspects of the athletics department, including oversight of facility construction and renovation, managing the Lady Vols portion of the adidas contract, development and implementation of department policies and procedures and oversight for scheduling of competition for all sports.
Thomas first joined the staff as the head manager of the Lady Volunteer basketball team from 1978-1982 while working toward her bachelor’s degree in secondary physical education. She then returned to Tennessee in 1990 as a graduate assistant in athletic administration and earned her master’s degree in recreation and athletic administration.