Samar Ali, a Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Law School alumna, has been named international director for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Ali’s role includes overseeing TNTrade as well as the ECD’s other international initiatives, including managing four international offices.
Erik Carter, associate professor of special education and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigator, spoke at a Council for Exceptional Children briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Carter discussed how funding for education research has improved academic, behavioral and lifelong outcomes for children with and without disabilities.
Bonnie Dimino, financial manager for academic affairs in the Provost’s Office of Finance and Administration, has been named assistant dean for operations and finance at Vanderbilt Law School. The appointment takes effect July 1.
Ruth E. Johnson, a Vanderbilt Law School alumna, has received the 2012 Athena Award presented by CABLE, a network of professionals committed to connecting women and opportunity. Johnson is associate vice president for advancement at Meharry Medical College.
Mototsugu Shintani, associate professor of economics, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Japanese Economic Association’s Nakahara Prize, which is awarded to a Japanese economist under the age of 45 who has published internationally well-recognized papers.
Michael Vandenbergh, professor of law, recently served on a 12-member steering committee examining private sustainability standards and certification systems. The committee’s final report, “Toward Sustainability: The Roles and Limitations of Certification,” will support businesses, governments and NGOs that are considering the use of certification to assist in sustainability goals. The committee’s work was initiated and funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and Mars, Incorporated.