Staff | Shared Services

Samantha Johnson Director samantha@utk.edu	Samantha has been with the University of Tennessee since 1999. She received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from West Virginia State University in 1994, passed the Certified Public Accountant exam in 1995, and earned a Master’s in Business Administration – Strategic Leadership from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2009. Since the Shared Services Office began in 2015, Samantha has overseen the office and expanded the reach and responsibilities as well as navigated the challenges of growth. In her current role, she continues to oversee the office while also holding the roles of Campus Procurement Card and Travel Card Administrator and performing other delegated travel, and procurement related duties. Her mission for Shared Services is to serve and support internal and external constituencies by performing financial services, providing timely and accurate information about UT resources, giving clear direction, offering thoughtful guidance, and delivering quality service.
Kasandra Atwood Financial Specialist II atwood00@utk.edu	Kasandra Atwood began her career at the University of Tennessee in March 1999 as an internal auditor with Audit and Compliance Services. She took six years to be with her family and community and returned to the University in 2019. She received her undergraduate degree in Accounting, and master’s degree in Business Administration. She also received her Lean Applied to Business Process yellow belt certification and is currently working on her green belt certification. Kasandra was individually selected by management to participate in additional leadership training with the Dale Carnegie organization, and graduated April 2022. During her time in the Office of Shared Services, she has overseen procurement support and managed the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, a $55M Department of Education grant received for Covid-19 mitigation and management. Kasandra is committed to fulfilling the University’s mission in an ethical, courteous, cost effective, and efficient manner. She strives for continuous process improvement by maximizing the use of the University’s technology resources, continuing education, and collaborating with our customers.
Eli Brown Administrative Specialist sharedservices@utk.edu	Eli started working for the University of Tennessee in March 2022. He received his undergraduate degree in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee in 2020 and is currently exploring the possibility of a master’s degree in Political Science. During his time in the Office of Shared Services, he has worked closely with University Printing and Mail to provide excellent service. While Eli is new to the department, he has learned quickly and excelled in his position. His mission is to work efficiently while providing the best customer service.
Rebecca Walker Administrative Coordinator sharedservices@utk.edu	Becky has been with the University of Tennessee since January 2000. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology in 2017 and will receive her master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology in August 2022. She also received Lean Applied to Business Process Certification in 2019 and is a Certified Administrative Professional. During her time in the Office of Shared Services, she has built lean systems and processes for financial processing and record keeping. In her current role, she supports the Knoxville campus employees with the Concur travel system. Becky also creates and shares instructional content to help other university employees with process improvement. Her mission is to provide training and support through excellent customer service.
Amanda Worsham Business Manager sharedservices@utk.edu	Amanda has been with the University of Tennessee since 2014. She received an undergraduate degree in Recreation and Tourism Management in 2002. She received her Microsoft Office Specialist Master in Microsoft 2016 certification in 2020 as well as her International Association of Administrative Professionals Organizational Management and Certified Administrative Professional certifications in 2015. During her time in the Office of Shared Services, she has received her Lean Applied to Business Processes yellow belt certification and her green belt certification. In her current role, she manages department operations for constituent departments. Her mission is to provide excellent customer service while employing continuous improvement of business processes.