KNOXVILLE — A veteran University of Tennessee administrator has been appointed UT’s chief liaison officer in the nation’s capital, Acting President Eli Fly said Wednesday.

Buddy Mitchell has been named associate vice president for federal relations and will lead the university’s contacts with Congress, the federal government and funding agencies, Fly said. Mitchell will continue his in his role as associate vice president for agricultural on a half-time basis.

The acting president also said he has asked Dr. Dwayne McCay, UT vice president for research and information technology, to devote more time on UT-Oak Ridge projects. To provide McCay additional time in Oak Ridge, Mitchell will report to the President’s Office.

“The university’s presence in Oak Ridge, particularly our role with UT-Battelle, is very important,” Fly said. “I’ve asked Dwayne to spend about two days a week working on our Oak Ridge initiatives.”

Mitchell is a familiar face in the nation’s capital, Fly said.

“Buddy knows Washington well. Part of his job in agriculture has been to represent the institute in Washington. He knows UT well and is strongly committed to our mission of teaching, research and service.”

Lillian Mashburn will continue as executive director of federal relations, reporting to Mitchell.

Fly said McCay and the staff of UT’s Office of Research will continue to work closely with the funding agencies.

Mitchell, a Carroll County native, has been with UT 21 years. He earned the bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics at UT-Martin and the master of science in the same discipline at UT-Knoxville.

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