University of Tennessee vice chancellor leaving agriculture job after just 8 months | Victor Ashe

UT Vice Chancellor Carrie Castille is departing her position as head of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture after less than eight months.

Obviously, this is unusual. Castille had cut short her appointment as director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to assume the UT position.

Castille will continue to be paid − her annual salary is $400,000 − until June when her employment ends. She give up her title of vice chancellor immediately.

On March 1, she will be replaced at UTIA by UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver. Until June 1, she’ll be special adviser on agriculture and government grants to UT System President Randy Boyd.

When a new vice chancellor lasts less than eight months, clearly that appointment did not work out. But no one is saying what happened. Several people have mentioned to me that Castille did not enjoy a close working relationship with the Tennessee Farm Bureau, which is essential for whoever leads UTIA.

Meanwhile, UT Martin loses its popular chancellor, and a search begins there for a permanent replacement. Carver has been with the UT System more than 20 years in some capacity.

He will head UTIA for two years, at least initially, because there was not a search for the position. UT System rules allow someone to serve only two years without a search. After March 1, 2025, there will be a formal search.

Carver has already sent out a statement to the UT System audience outlining his excitement about assuming this new position. Castille has not made a public statement. Despite being a special adviser to Boyd, her office, with these new duties, will not move to the TVA Towers where UT System leaders, including Boyd, are based.

President Joe Biden has decided not to renominate Casey Arrowood for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee despite strong support from Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty.

Blackburn has voiced strong disagreement and indicated she may delay other U.S. attorney nominations. It is likely there will not be a nomination until after the 2024 presidential nominee is selected. Trey Hamilton will continue as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District.

With the Senate now controlled by the Democrats, Biden nominees will have an easier, quicker time being confirmed – if all 51 Democrats stay united regardless of how GOP senators vote.

Meanwhile, Biden has not removed the Trump-appointed U.S. marshals in Tennessee, which pleases and surprises Republicans. Local Knox Democratic chair Matt Shears has expressed strong surprise that Biden has not named Democrats to the positions.

Biden removed most U.S. attorneys shortly after becoming president in 2021. Usually, a new president names new attorneys and marshals after taking office.

City Councilwoman Janet Testerman has her Sequoyah Hills home for sale but intends to live in West Knoxville. She has not said whether she’ll seek a second term on City Council in August, but Debbie Helsley – who ran a strong race for county mayor – has announced a kickoff reception for her council bid Feb. 23 at the Redbud Kitchen in South Knoxville.

A 50-member host committee will include former mayor Madeline Rogero and state Rep. Sam McKenzie, husband of City Councilwoman Gwen McKenzie.

Birthdays

Feb. 10: Attorney and former Knox GOP chair Lynn Tarpy is 72. Umoja Abdul-Ahad is 76. County Commissioner Gina Oster is 54. Dan Holbrook is 75. Nordehl Unbehaun is 61.

Feb. 11: Realtor Jon Brock is 68. Attorney Mark Mamantov is 63. Austin Davidson is 36. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush is 70. Felix Harris is 56. Retired appellate court judge Joe Duncan, brother of the late congressman and mayor John Duncan, is 99. Former state mental health commissioner Elisabeth Rukeyser is 79.

Feb. 12: Ashley Capps is 68. Joyce Feld is 73. Jared Akridge is 41. Richard H. Bass is 73. Jeffrey Daniel is 61. Retired Scripps CEO Jim Samples is 60. Lillian Mashburn is 80. Buddy Heins is 63. Will Brownlow IV is 75.

Feb. 13: Tracie Sanger is 50. Joel Roettger is 48. Former TVA director and current Airport Authority member Jeff Smith is 64. Charles Burks is 75.

Feb. 14: Gloria Deathridge is 70. Dugan McLaughlin is 66. Rob Link on Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ staff is 45. Robin L. Gibson is 61. Charlie Vogel is 75. Retired Sevier County district attorney Al Schmutzer is 81.

Feb. 15: Christine Pienkowski is 67. Matthew Cunningham is 42.

Feb. 16: Former City Council member Chris Woodhull is 64. Brooke Cunningham is 42. State Sen. Jeff Yarbro is 46. Kalyn Bradford is 35. Robert Ivy is 62.

Victor Ashe can be reached at vhashe@aol.com.

Knox News and Shopper News promptly correct all errors. If you think we have published incorrect information, please email accuracy@knoxnews.com. Describe the error, where you saw it, the date, page number or the URL.

Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News. 

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee agriculture chief leaving job after 8 months