The multitasking senior marketing executive lives in Chattanooga with her husband, Trey Stanley (Knoxville ’95), and their four-legged loves, Dilly and Juby. In between 5 a.m. wake-up calls and past-midnight bedtimes, Stanley (Knoxville ’95) gives a glimpse of how she holds down her full-time job and the presidency helm of the 335,000-member UT Alumni Association.
Tuesday, July 24
5:30 a.m.: Play with my dogs, drink a cup of coffee and eat peanut butter on toast for breakfast.
6:30 p.m.: Attend Hamilton County Chapter Board meeting on UTC campus.
8 p.m.: Late dinner with my husband, Trey, at Urban Stack. This local restaurant serves the most creative burgers.
Wednesday, July 25
5:30 a.m.: Committed a cardinal sin and skipped breakfast. I almost always eat it, but I just wasn’t feeling great when I woke up.
9:30 a.m.: Conference call with the executive team of the alumni association.
Noon: Felt much better by lunchtime. I enjoyed shrimp and grits (who can resist?) while having lunch with Johnnie Ray [photo], vice president of development and alumni affairs and president of the UT Foundation at Hennen’s, a great Chattanooga restaurant near the Tennessee River.
11 p.m.: Ended the night after having grilled pork chops from a local farm and some organic veggies cooked by the hubby. I watched The Daily Show before hitting the sack.
Thursday, July 26
7:30 a.m.: Conference calls for work.
3:30 p.m.: Headed to Nashville for the All Sports Picnic (my first) with Trey. While Trey drove to Nashville, I worked on more work projects instead of reading the Harvard Business Review or InStyle magazine.
5:30 p.m.: Doors open for the 46th annual All Sports Picnic hosted by the Davidson County UT Alumni Chapter. I met Dave Hart (Knoxville’s vice chancellor and director of athletics) for the first time. The highlight of the day was introducing UT President Dr. DiPietro. We’re lucky to have him at UT. I also met Abby, a student from UT Martin, and her dad, Jerry. She majors in dance education, and I had no idea we offered that discipline in the UT System. I also was able to reminisce with Abby and Jerry about the summer I spent at UT Martin. They offered great tips on where to eat when I visit UT Martin for the rodeo.
7:30 p.m.: This may sound nuts for a Southern girl, but I don’t like barbecue, and I also don’t like to eat dinner before 7:30 p.m. So, despite the wonderful food and hospitality at the All Sports Picnic, we skipped the meal and headed to an Italian restaurant in Nashville before heading home.
Friday, July 27
7:30 a.m.: Today is the first day this week with no UTAA events, calls or meetings, so it was all work for me.
8 p.m.: Friday nights are always reserved for wine and pizza at home. When we picked up our order at Lupi’s Pizza Pies (another local favorite that we have been frequenting for years—pretty sure they have a picture of us in kitchen) we ran into UT alums Chip and Susan Arnold. Chip and Trey went to high school together, and Susan was my sorority sister in Tri Delta. We chatted about the new sorority houses on Knoxville’s campus. Not to say that living in Massey Hall with no air conditioning and shared shower rooms wasn’t a blast during our time on campus, but I think we’re both a tad jealous.
Saturday, July 28
8 a.m.: I slept in! I spent the rest of the morning working. Then Trey and I went to the Atlanta airport to pick up my goddaughter, Salinne, who stayed with us for a week, before we went on a Costa Rican vacation.
