In his first year in his new position, Jake Bynum has already made his mark at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Jake Bynum, a UT Martin alumnus, is the current Chief of Staff on campus. This is a new position on campus, formed by Chancellor Yancy Freeman to serve as his right-hand man.

“We had an executive assistant to the Chancellor position here, but I upgraded it when I got here and made it a chief of staff position,” Freeman said. “I posted it, and Jake applied for the job and was selected for the position.”

In this position, Bynum has many duties. He is the person the chancellor meets with the most of all the people in his cabinet. He is the primary contact between the UT system and the school. He also serves as secretary to the campus advisory board and updates the board of trustees on any information on campus. Bynum also represents the chancellor whenever he is unavailable for an event. In short, he is an operations person who makes sure the business of the chancellor’s office runs smoothly.

For his position, Bynum has a very unique educational background. Born and raised in Weakley County, he did his undergraduate years at UT Martin, earning his bachelor’s in marketing. In 2020, he received a scholarship to go to Lipscomb University, a private university in Nashville, and obtained a master’s degree in leadership and public service.

Even without a PhD, Bynum earned his position through experience. Before he arrived here, he worked as a banker for almost a decade. After, he served as the Mayor of Weakley County for another 10 years. Over those nearly 20 years, he gained valuable experience that aids him in his new position.

“It’s pretty unlikely I’m sitting in the seat I sit in today if I had not been the county mayor,” Bynum said. “I made this example last week, I’m a dot connector, and understanding the through lines around these two things sitting at opposite ends of the spectrum that may not seem connected, but there is a way to draw a line between these things, are some of the things I bring to the job because of my previous experience.”

One thing he enjoys about the job is that since it is a new position, there is not a correct way to do it. He is able to mold the position into his own and help out where he is needed most. 

“This job, because it’s new and didn’t exist prior, there were people doing parts of what I currently do. It’s not like none of this existed before I got here, but it didn’t exist in its current form, and that’s a place where I have always really thrived,” Bynum said.

While he mostly works with the chancellor, he also interacts with the other members within the chancellor’s cabinet. They have greatly enjoyed working with him for the past 18 months.

“Jake has provided clear direction and consistent communication, which really helps us stay aligned on priorities,” said Amy Bates, the administrative coordinator for public occasions and someone who works closely with Bynum. “He generally cares for our team, and that we are not only successful as a team, but also as individuals as well.”

Bynum is already making headway, and the future for him and the position of chief of staff looks very bright. He sees a lot of potential in the position and thinks he will be here for a while, as long as the job continues to challenge him.

“It will just get better,” Freeman said. “He is a great asset to UTM… he really is a dedicated and committed individual that I feel very pleased with his work and happy he is here.”