Deborah Watts has more than 20 years of experience helping people and organizations grow. Her passion is developing professionals into tomorrow’s leaders and coaching leaders on how to optimize their performance as well as the performance of their team. Her experience has come from many unique opportunities spanning a wide range of disciplines and industries. Currently, Watts is director of Graduate and Executive Education at the University of Tennessee, Haslam College of Business. She is also the founder and CEO of Hayde & Company, a talent optimization consulting firm. In addition, she serves as a certified partner of The Predictive Index and senior consultant for the Leadership Pipeline Institute based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

A certified EQi-2.0 and EQ 360 coach, Watts has expertise not only in adult learning, but also in organizational communication, behavioral analytics, talent optimization, succession planning and emotional intelligence competencies. She has worked with local and international universities including Belmont University, Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Lipscomb University, Trevecca University, and the University of Tennessee. She has taught undergraduate courses, MBA courses, leadership doctoral courses, and non-degree executive education programs. Watts is a member of Delta Mu Delta, a national honor society in business, and serves on the UT senate. She also was selected as a Nashville Business Journal “Women of Influence” in 2019 and a Nashville Post “In Charge Education Influencer” in 2023.