Fitzgerald named director of disability resources and compliance at MC

June 24, 2022

Photo of Kelly Fitzgerald

Kelly Hawk Fitzgerald ’12 has been named director of disability resources and compliance at Maryville College. The MC alumna, who previously served as the Title IX coordinator and institutional compliance officer at Lincoln Memorial University, joined the staff in MC’s Student Affairs Division on June 13.

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in English from Maryville College, Fitzgerald holds a law degree from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, and a master of science degree in counseling from Carson-Newman University.

At Lincoln Memorial University since 2020, Fitzgerald coordinated and oversaw compliance and grievance processes, and she developed and implemented training for students, faculty and staff. Previously, she was an associate attorney with Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group in Vero Beach, Florida. She also was a Florida Bar Foundation Legal Services Summer Fellow with Disability Independence Group in Miami, where she conducted research for disability law cases and drafted manuals on understanding disability and disability benefits.

“Kelly brings with her a unique combination of educational training through her law degree, her professional experiences including most recently serving as the Title IX coordinator and institutional compliance officer at Lincoln Memorial University, and as an alumna of Maryville College,” said Dr. Melanie Tucker, vice president and dean of students and chief diversity officer at Maryville College. “Our students and campus community are fortunate to have her expertise on staff. Additionally, with disability resources and accessibility becoming a component of the Student Affairs portfolio, Kelly will become an integral component of the College’s efforts to strengthen our infrastructure regarding supporting diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.”

As MC’s director of disability resources and compliance, Fitzgerald reports to Tucker and will provide leadership for programs, services and resources that enhance student success for students with disabilities. Fitzgerald also serves as Maryville College’s Title IX coordinator.

In her role, Fitzgerald will regularly partner with Tucker and colleagues in the Student Affairs and Academic Affairs offices to provide learning opportunities for campus constituencies designed to decrease barriers for students, increase access to learning experiences in and out of the classroom, and positively impact student success in all realms.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”