Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director

UT Knoxville Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration

In her role as associate vice provost and executive director of the Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration, Krystyne Savarese strives to ensure all UT students are set up for success in achieving their goals. In this role, she leads the unit’s efforts including career services, employer development, exploration, and the implementation of the Vol Edge.

Krystyne has served in a variety of roles in over 20 years in higher education. She started her career at Ohio State University in residence life, eventually serving in a role coordinating annual reporting, strategic planning, and accreditation for the Division of Student Life. Later, she moved to the Office of Legal Affairs where she managed the university’s policy portfolio. She also had the honor of serving as chair of the University Staff Advisory Committee. Krystyne later served as the senior director of residence life at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, one of the largest residential programs in the country. Most recently, Krystyne guided strategic efforts in the Division of Student Success at UT Knoxville, focusing on projects relevant to career readiness, student well-being, CliftonStrengths, male persistence, and lifting data to guide decisions relevant to the student experience.

Originally from Southern California, Krystyne has a B.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master of Arts in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University where her dissertation research focused on the organizational socialization experiences of new mid-level managers in student affairs.

Gallup Strengths: Strategic, Intellection, Individualization, Developer, Empathy