Tyvi Small

Tyvi Small currently serves as the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He served UTK for 13 years in the Haslam College of Business, where he culminated as Executive Director for Talent Management, Diversity and Community Relations. Prior to coming to Knoxville, he was the Education Coordinator and Assistant to the Mayor for the City of West Palm Beach, FL.  Tyvi is a native of Pahokee, Florida.  He graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in education.  He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Administration at UTK.

As Vice Chancellor, Tyvi has developed several initiatives to move the newly formed Division of Diversity and Engagement forward.  The Framework for Inclusive Excellence, using campus-wide input, was created by his team as the diversity, equity and inclusion plan for the university. In addition, he has worked with senior leadership to facilitate the process for all academic and administrative units to submit Diversity Action Plans. He led the process to develop and fund the academic diversity initiative, which places diversity officers and programs in all academic colleges. In partnership with the Division of Research, the Research Development Academy was developed to help mentor historically underrepresented faculty through the promotion and tenure process. His team also coordinated the process for administering the university’s first climate survey.

Tyvi is very involved in the community and serves on the board of directors of the Knoxville Area Urban League and The Tennessee Valley Fair. He is also past Secretary/Treasurer of The Development Corporation (TDC) of Knox County and is a member of the Board of Commissioners for the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB). He is a member of Leadership Tennessee Class VII, a 2012 graduate of Leadership Knoxville and a 2008 graduate of Introduction Knoxville.  Tyvi is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is an active member of Overcoming Believers Church and enjoys spending time with his Lovely Wife Tammi.