UT Law welcomes new assistant dean for student affairs

Maria Saez Tatman has joined the University of Tennessee College of Law as the assistant dean for student affairs. Saez Tatman will also serve as the director of diversity and inclusion for the College of Law.

“We are so pleased to have someone of Maria’s caliber joining our team,” Dean Melanie Wilson said. “She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in working with student affairs, and she will be an incredible asset to our college and our students.”

Saez Tatman most recently served as the associate dean of student services and advising at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law where she was responsible for student services, academic support, diversity and inclusion, and the registrar’s office. 

Previously, as assistant dean at the University of Oregon School of Law, she provided strategic leadership and vision for career services. She also served as the associate director of career planning and professional development at the University of Illinois College of Law.

“I firmly believe in the value of public legal education and in the important role the University of Tennessee plays in the state and across the region,” Saez Tatman said. “I am so excited to work with our students as they develop a vision for their future and the future of our legal profession. I could not be prouder to join the UT College of Law community.”

Saez Tatman holds a law degree from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan. Prior to her work in academia, she practiced labor and employment law.