Two Vanderbilt alumni and a Vanderbilt parent – all having provided strong volunteer leadership for the university’s initiatives – join a graduating Chancellor’s Scholar as the newest members of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust.
During its May 1 meeting, the board elected Lee M. Bass, Bruce R. Evans and William W. Featheringill to five-year terms. Ayo Ositelu will serve a four-year term as the 2009 Young Alumni Trustee.
Bass, a Fort Worth, Texas, businessman who is head of Bass Enterprises Production Company, has been active in Vanderbilt’s Parents Leadership Committee, the College Cabinet and the Canby Robinson Society. Bass’ other civic commitments have included the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, the International Rhino Foundation, the Peregrine Fund and Fort Worth’s Modern Art Museum and Zoological Association. He received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his master’s of business administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Evans, of Boston, Mass., earned his B.E. from Vanderbilt in 1981. Currently, he is managing director of Summit 
Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm based in Boston. He and his wife, Bridgitt, have established the Evans Honor Scholarship and co-hosted a Shape the Future campaign event for Boston alumni. Evans has been an active community member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust Investment Committee since 1998. He participated in the 2006 Leadership Conference, served as fundraising chair for the Class of 1981’s 25th reunion and is a member of the Lewis Society. Other civic activities include fundraising for the Roxbury Latin School and the Harvard Business School, of which he is a graduate.
Featheringill, of Birmirgham, Ala., is a 1964 alumnus of the School of Engineering. He is president of Private Capital Corporation and a previous Vanderbilt Board of Trust member. His Vanderbilt activities include chairing the Engineering Shape the Future Campaign Committee and providing the major funding for the building of Featheringill Hall. He has served on the Engineering Committee of Visitors. He also was fundraising chair for the Class of ’64’s 40th reunion. In Birmingham he has served on the boards of the Southern Research Institute, the Birmingham Museum of Art, Cumberland and Samford universities.
Ositelu, a double major in engineering and mathematics, has been active in diversity issues on campus. He served as president of the African Students Union and as a member of the Multicultural Leadership Council. Additionally, he has been vice president of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Regional Academic Excellence Chair for the National Society of Black Engineers and a participant in Alternative Spring Break. The former Mr. Commodore has volunteered with the Nashville Adult Literacy Council, Kipp Academy and Vanderbilt Students Volunteering for Science.
Ositelu, who is from Indianapolis, Ind., was nominated by the Vanderbilt Alumni Association to be the 2009 Young Alumni Trustee after winning an online vote by students in the classes of 2007 through 2009.
Media contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, 615-322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu