The Executive Committee is currently comprised of the President, Vice President, Officers, and Committee Chairs. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in serving as an executive officer or committee chair.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

President – Taylor Weber – [email protected]

Vice President – Jeandré Joubert – [email protected]

Jeandré Joubert is a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, pursuing a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management. He serves as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Office of Title IX in the Division of Campus Compliance Services, supporting community outreach, prevention, research, and compliance initiatives. Jeandré is also a Health Executive Administrative Intern with Covenant Health Methodist Medical Center Oak Ridge, gaining hands-on experience in hospital operations, strategic planning, and capital initiatives. He serves as Vice President of the Graduate Student Senate and previously served as the Graduate Student Senate Secretary.  He strives to advocate for graduate and professional students and promote meaningful campus engagement. Jeandré is passionate about healthcare leadership, student advocacy, and service, with the long-term goal of pursuing a career in hospital administration.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Chief of Staff – Tori Huggins – [email protected]

Tori is a third-year counseling psychology doctoral student in the Psychology and Neuroscience department. Her primary research interests focus on collegiate student-athlete well-being and relational health, as well as systemic barriers within the collegiate athletics environment that harm student-athletes’ sense of belonging, safety, identity, and autonomy. Tori is serving her second year as a Psychology and Neuroscience department senator and served as the Access and Engagement Committee Chair during the 2025–2026 academic year. She is also the current President of the Psychology and Neuroscience Graduate Student Association and serves as both a clinician and instructor of record. Tori is passionate about fostering graduate student connection, service, advocacy, and engagement, and is currently pursuing a career as a psychologist embedded within a collegiate athletics department.

Senate Chair – Josh Cornell – [email protected]

Josh Cornell is a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, pursuing a Master of Public Policy. He serves as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Graduate School, supporting research and administrative projects. He also serves as Senate Chair, where he facilitates Senate meetings and supports graduate student representation. Through these roles, Josh has developed experience in research, communication, and leadership. His long-term goal is to work as a policy analyst and contribute to evidence-based policymaking.

Secretary – Kavi Tailor – [email protected]

Kavi Tailor is a Master of Public Health student concentrating in Epidemiology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He serves as Secretary of the Graduate Student Senate and previously represented the Department of Nutrition and Public Health as a Senator. Kavi also serves as President of the Public Health Student Association and as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Nutrition and Public Health. His academic and research interests include epidemiology, infectious disease, hospital epidemiology, and the use of data to improve population health outcomes. In addition to his academic work, Kavi is a Certified Pharmacy Technician with experience in hospital pharmacy and has contributed to public health research and service initiatives at UT and the Tennessee Department of Health. He is passionate about graduate student advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthening connections between graduate students, academic programs, and the broader university community.

Treasurer – Fernanda Carriedo-Fagan – [email protected]

Fernanda Carriedo-Fagan is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in economics at the University of Tennessee. Her research lies at the intersection of public finance, education, and labor economics. Her work examines how educational institutions and changes in schooling environments shape students’ outcomes and opportunities, as well as their subsequent experiences in the labor market. She is also interested in how government policies and fiscal decisions shape economic outcomes.
Fernanda is passionate about learning and enjoys exploring new ideas both within and beyond economics. She is committed to representing her peers and advocating for the needs and interests of her community. Beyond economics, she enjoys spending time with her pet bunny, running, and cooking.

Technology Director – Eva Kaushik – [email protected]

Eva Kaushik is a graduate student in Data Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She conducts her research in the Sensors and Electronics Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory through the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute. As a 2026-2027 GATE Fellow, she uses statistical modeling and machine learning to monitor power system assets, turning thousands of unlabeled transformer event recordings into a small set of interpretable event profiles. At UTK, she also serves as Secretary of the Graduate Society of Women Engineers. As Technology Director, Eva hopes to make GSS meetings, records, and online resources easier for every graduate student to find, access, and use.

• Communications Director – Chloe Solomon – [email protected]

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

• Access and Engagement – Jerry Saguin – [email protected]
• Communications – Vacant – [email protected]
• Finance –  Fernanda Carriedo-Fagan – [email protected]

Institutional Advocacy and Advisory – Kala Perry – [email protected]

Kala Perry is a third-year PhD student in Energy Science and Engineering through the Bredesen Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is a Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) TecH Fellow and conducts her research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, developing coupled HPIC-ICPMS methods for rapid characterization of nuclear materials. Kala is passionate about radiochemistry and nuclear security, with a long-term goal of becoming a national laboratory radiochemist who also helps shape energy policy. Outside of her research, she is dedicated to advocating for graduate students across all aspects of their experience, including mental health, professional development, and overall well-being.

International Student Support – Feixia Wang – [email protected]

Judiciary – Alex Kiefer – [email protected]

Alex Kiefer is a PhD student at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville and a graduate research assistant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under Xiao Wang. He received his BS and MS in computer science from Indiana University in 2022. His work focuses on the efficient scaling of AI models on HPCs for spatio-temporal data.

As part of the GSS, Alex serves as the chair of the judiciary committee, working to develop senate standards, resolve conflicts, and ensure the senate upholds the highest personal and professional standards in their work. His primary initiatives include enforcing professional standards and increasing participation and commitment in GSS activities.

Legislative Steering – Richard Adonu – [email protected]

Richard Mensah Adonu is a second-year Ph.D. student in the School of Journalism & Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He holds an M.S. in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State University. His research explores artificial intelligence, journalism, algorithmic inequality, media representation, and deepfakes, emphasizing their implications for media practice and democratic participation.

Richard serves as Chair of the Graduate Student Senate’s Legislative Steering Committee for 2026–27. He previously served in Iowa State’s Student Government Judiciary Branch, supporting student advocacy and shared governance.

He has presented research at national and regional conferences, including CSCA and AEJMC. His work on algorithmic inequalities in Ghanaian journalism received the 2026 CSCA Top Inclusive Scholarship Paper recognition.

As an Instructor of Record at UT, Richard teaches undergraduate courses on media, diversity, and society. He aims to advance scholarship and public discourse on AI and journalism, centering underrepresented communities and Global South perspectives.

• Philanthropy & Community Service – Siena Jobkar – [email protected]
• Programming and Events – Savannah Jobkar – [email protected]

Research & Assessment – Autavia Grubaugh – [email protected]

Autavia Grubaugh is honored to serve as Graduate Student Senate Research and Assessment Committee Chair and Senator representing the College of Social Work for the 2026-2027 academic year. She is an MSSW candidate, President of the Master of Social Work Organization (MSWO), and a graduate assistant, independent researcher, and member of the Association of Social Workers in Sport Research Committee. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Colorado. A mother of three, she is excited to represent UT’s diverse graduate students, advocating for their needs, strengthening their well-being, and ensuring their voices inform institutional decisions.

• Travel Grant Program – Joy Fasae – [email protected]

Accomplishments from Previous Executive Committees