Senior Writer
 

jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu

Jim Patterson covers research and news at the Law School and in in the social sciences, including economics, anthropology, sociology, political science, history, religious studies and communications studies. He is the primary liaison with the College of Arts and Science. Patterson also covers major university news and announcements and is the voice of the university’s Facebook page. Patterson worked for 14 years for The Associated Press in Nashville, covering all aspects of news in Tennessee with emphasis on the religion, arts and music business beats. He was given the Media Achievement Award by the Country Music Association in 2002.

Ann Marie Deer Owens

Senior Public Affairs Officer
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu

Ann Marie Owens covers arts and humanities in the College of Arts and Science and is the primary liaison for the Divinity School, the Library and Community, Neighborhood and Government Relations. She also writes and produces radio spots, including the long-running spot That’s Vanderbilt which is broadcast during Vanderbilt basketball and football games. Before joining the university staff in 1992, Owens, a Vanderbilt graduate, worked in radio news as a reporter and news director for four Nashville stations. She also reported for WKRN-TV, the ABC affiliate in Nashville. In addition, she worked in financial development and special events management for two non-profit agencies. Owens was honored as Tennessee Broadcaster of the Year by The Associated Press and was a two-time recipient of the Golden Mike Award for public service programming by the Nashville chapter of the American Women in Radio and Television.

Princine Lewis

Senior Strategist
princine.l.lewis@vanderbilt.edu

Princine Lewis provides comprehensive communications and marketing strategies for schools, departments, programs and other university units. She maintains the university’s Crisis Communications Plan and represents Public Affairs in university-wide emergency preparedness efforts. Lewis is also the liaison for the Office of the Dean of Students, Residential Life, College Halls, the Vanderbilt University Police Department, Office of Religious Life, Women’s Center and Black Cultural Center. Working closely with Latt, Lewis also provides counseling across the university on sensitive matters. In addition, she plans and implements a number of aspects of special events for high-profile university events, e.g. Commencement and visits by major national and political figures. She also provides support for video projects, and has won two Regional Emmys at Vanderbilt.

Prior to joining the university, Lewis was an account executive at McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, one of the largest independent public relations firms in the Southeast, where she managed media relations, community relations, special events and marketing communications efforts for a variety of corporate, government and not-for-profit clients. Lewis is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Amy Wolf

Senior Public Affairs Officer
amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu

Amy Wolf is University News and Communications’ chief national media liaison. In this role she works with the rest of the staff to identify and pitch story ideas to the national media. She is a video producer and is writer and anchor of the weekly VUCast video news webcast, and has won a Regional Emmy for her Vanderbilt work. She is also the primary liaison for Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid. Wolf has 13 years of experience in television and radio news.  Before coming to Vanderbilt, she served as senior producer for news and health at NBC affiliate WBAL-TV in Baltimore. She managed coverage of special events and produced the early evening newscasts, which were top-rated in the region for the six consecutive years she led them. In 2003, she was nominated for an Emmy as best newscast producer. Her other previous experience includes more than a decade of creating, writing and promoting newscasts in New Haven, Conn., and Cincinnati. She also spent two years as a producer and reporter for Cincinnati’s NPR affiliate. Wolf is a graduate of Miami University in Ohio, with concentrations in journalism, communications and political science.

Jennifer Wetzel

Senior Information Officer
jennifer.wetzel@vanderbilt.edu

Jennifer Wetzel covers news and research within areas of the university and medical center. She is the primary liaison for the Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Division of Trauma, Department of Emergency Medicine and Vanderbilt Regional Burn Center. She assists with media relations for the medical center and maintains the medical center news site. She also contributes to medical center publications including The Reporter, Vanderbilt Medicine and House Organ. Wetzel came to Vanderbilt from Belmont University in Nashville, where she spent a decade in media, communication, community relations and marketing roles, most recently serving as assistant director of communications. She is a graduate of Belmont with concentrations in journalism and broadcasting.

Pat Slattery

Chief Photographer and Broadcast Technical and Production Manager
pat.slattery@vanderbilt.edu

Pat Slattery, a national award-winning videographer, joined University News and Communications in August 2006 as broadcast technical and production manager. He serves the university and medical center as videographer for live shots at VUStar, Vanderbilt’s campus broadcast facility, and shoots and edits VUCast, Vanderbilt’s weekly online news program. He also facilitates audio production and shooting and editing for external media. Slattery was on staff at WSMV-TV, Nashville’s NBC affiliate, for more than 24 years, serving as chief photographer for the last 11 years. He has won more than 20 regional Emmy awards, including the prestigious Silver Circle award.

Barb Cramer

Manager, Video News
barb.cramer@vanderbilt.edu

Barb Cramer developed and continues to manage video news for Vanderbilt. She started her career as a radio news director in Tennessee and then in Kentucky, before moving to Nashville to become a TV news reporter for WKRN-Channel 2 and then WSMV-Channel 4. After 17 years in commercial broadcasting, Barb joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center and ultimately started the Vanderbilt TV Health Report Network, developing, producing, reporting and distributing health reports to commercial television stations nationally and internationally. In 2010, Barb moved over to the university side as manager of video news for University News and Communications while continuing to produce video news for the Medical Center. Barb has received numerous awards, including several Emmy’s and other national and state awards for her reporting while in commercial broadcasting. Since she has been at Vanderbilt, Barb has received several Council for Advancement and Support of Education national Gold Medal Awards for excellence with electronic media and Association of American Medical Colleges national awards for video production. She holds a master’s in education from Austin Peay State University.

Mike Todd

Videographer, Editor
mike.todd@vanderbilt.edu

Mike Todd joined Vanderbilt in 2011. He shoots and edits research stories, medical stories, campus b-roll, interviews, campus speakers and major university events for external media and Vanderbilt’s Web presence. Todd also serves as a videographer and engineer for VUStar, Vanderbilt’s campus broadcast facility. Before joining Vanderbilt, Todd spent 25 years at WSMV-TV in positions that included photojournalist, assignments manager, assistant news director and chief photographer / operations manager. He has won five Regional Emmy awards, the National Association of Broadcasters “Service to Children” award and the Gabriel Award.

Joan Brasher

Editor
joan.brasher@vanderbilt.edu

Joan Brasher is editor in chief of the Vanderbilt View, a monthly print publication for university faculty and staff, and of myVU, the faculty / staff news website. She is the principal point person for internal communications and chief liaison with Human Resource Services. The View has won 15 industry awards since its launch in November of 2007, including the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s highest honor, the National Circle of Excellence Award. Before joining Vanderbilt in 2003, she worked as a freelance movie critic, specializing in independent and foreign-language films. Additionally, she served as an entertainment reporter for publications under the purview of Gannett Corp., Village Voice Media and Meredith Corporation, for which she interviewed numerous Hollywood notables. Brasher earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Olivet Nazarene University.

Kara Furlong

Associate Editor
kara.furlong@vanderbilt.edu

Kara Furlong is associate editor of the monthly print publication the Vanderbilt View, where she focuses on feature writing, compiling faculty and staff notes and campus news, and researching the popular “Looking Back” archival photo feature, and also writer and deputy editor for myVU. Her writing has been recognized by the Tennessee College Public Relations Association. Prior to joining the View staff in 2005, she worked in University News and Communications as an editorial assistant with responsibilities to the Division of Student Life in its communications efforts. Furlong holds a bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb University, where she majored in English and communications.

Jenny Mandeville

Editor, Videographer
jenny.mandeville@vanderbilt.edu

Jenny Mandeville is an editor and videographer for News and Communications. She serves as the primary editor for VUCast, Vanderbilt’s weekly online news program. She graduated from New York University with a degree in broadcast journalism. She spent time working for the Paula Zahn Now program at CNN in New York, in addition to freelancing as a photographer and music journalist. Jenny came to Vanderbilt in 2007 as part of the photography team, and in 2011 made the transition to the News Service.

Chris Skinker

Editorial Assistant
chris.skinker@vanderbilt.edu

Chris Skinker is the primary liaison for the Blair School of Music, the Theatre Department and the Chancellor’s Lecture Series and also writes press releases for Dyer Observatory’s Music on the Mountain series. She manages the University News and Communications office operations, assists the director in a variety of projects and is one of the primary maintainers of the News and Communications website.

Liz Entman

Editorial Assistant
liz.entman@vanderbilt.edu

Liz Entman is responsible for copyediting and posting content on Research News @ Vanderbilt, maintaining the News and Communications website, and communications for Dyer Observatory. She compiles the daily news clips summary, including e-mailing VUtoday. She is also editor of RE:VU, the annual Vanderbilt facts brochure, and tracks all university media placements. She also assists with a variety of editorial projects.

Gay Tidwell

Calendar Editor
gay.tidwell@vanderbilt.edu

Gay Tidwell is responsible for managing the University and Medical Center calendars and is the first point of contact for News and Communications. Tidwell has served Vanderbilt in a variety of roles since 1985.

University Web Communications

University Web Communications, which develops and manages all of the university’s top-level websites as well as its primary content management systems and social media presences, is a unit of University News and Communications.

Visit the University Web Communications website