Division of Student Success Directory

Bio: Dr. Ashley Purgason is a Maverick through and through, having received her BS and MS from UTA. Dr. Purgason is a toxicologist by training and received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas Medical Branch. She is also a former member of the UTA Women's basketball team. She leads a unit of professional staff in a variety of activities designed to meet student academic needs from registration to graduation.

Bio: Dr. Deidra Turner promotes continuous learning inside and outside the classroom and her own academic journey has taken her to a variety of institutions - public, private, four-year, two year, in and out of state. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from TCU. She went on to earn an M.Ed. in Student Personnel in Higher Education from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in Sociology with an emphasis in Gender, Race, and Ethnicity from Texas A&M University. At each institution, Deidra strives to create connections that strengthen people and programs.

Bio: Liz received her BS from the University of North Texas and her Masters in Organizational Development from Abilene Christian University. Dedicating the majority of her service years at UTA to academic advising, Liz also supports the strategic and technology initiatives within the Division.

Bio: Kassidy received her BBA from Baylor University. She started her career in public accounting as an auditor, then transitioned to work specifically in Education. Kassidy supports DSS by providing financial analyses and insight to help the Division efficiently and effectively serve students.

Bio: Katie received her undergraduate and master's degrees from Texas Christian University and began her career in marketing communications, particularly interested in communication strategies, content writing, and clearly presenting information and ideas. Katie supports DSS and serves students by leveraging her strategic communication skills to help the Division get students the right information at the right time.

Bio: Dr. Calhoun-Butts serves as the Assistant Vice Provost of Retention and Completion in the Division of Student Success. She has 20 years’ experience in higher education and served in many capacities including leadership and administration, orientation, residence life, academic advising, enrollment management, research, and teaching. Dr. Calhoun-Butts is committed to advancing excellence in education, fostering innovation, and nurturing an inclusive environment.