Leading with an Appreciation for Teamwork

Tim McNamara, Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science, is passionate about the outdoors. When there’s a break at Vanderbilt, you may find him camping with his wife in East Tennessee, hiking with his daughters in the mountains of Wyoming, or walking with his beloved dog, Hawk, in Nashville’s Percy Warner Park.

Over his four decades at Vanderbilt, the university leader and professor of psychology has scaled physical and metaphorical mountains. He says that collaborating with his colleagues along the journey has been the true reward, and he’s ready for the leadership adventures to come.

“This is an exciting time, and I’m motivated to contribute in whatever way I can,” McNamara said. “I took the position because I see the positive effect that I can have on the College of Arts and Science working in partnership with my faculty colleagues and leadership. A&S is, at its core, interdisciplinary and highly collaborative. These themes are woven throughout all that we do and are fundamental to my personal leadership style.”

McNamara’s leadership experience is deep: He has served at various times during his more than 40 years at Vanderbilt as a faculty member, department chair, associate and vice provost, interim dean of Arts and Science and, now, dean.

Tim McNamara’s first Vanderbilt faculty ID issued in 1983 (Submitted photo)

Tim McNamara in his first year teaching at Vanderbilt, 1984 (Submitted photo)

GROWTH MINDSET

McNamara is using that rich experience to help with impactful projects like the faculty-led curriculum overhaul. The A&S College Core, a completely reenvisioned undergraduate educational experience, will launch in fall 2025. McNamara recently restructured the Office of Undergraduate Education to provide greater support to students and create a more efficient structure for faculty and staff to implement the College Core.

He’s also leading infrastructure projects to ensure that the college’s beautiful and historic buildings are enhanced for the school’s growing, dynamic academic and research opportunities.

“I have a big, talented team in the dean’s office and fantastic department chairs, and I couldn’t do my job without them,” he said. “They enable me to lead the college and spend time on strategic thinking on bold initiatives.”

In addition to the projects led by Arts and Science, McNamara also plans for the college to support high-profile university initiatives, including the Institute of National Security, Dialogue Vanderbilt and growth plans into New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida.

“One of the reasons that I am excited to be dean now is the university’s impressive leadership. Chancellor Diermeier’s and Provost Raver’s vision, strategic thinking, willingness to make bold changes, and commitments to academic quality are inspiring,” McNamara said.

PSYCHOLOGIST + LEADER

McNamara, a professor of psychology, came to Vanderbilt right before earning his Ph.D. at Yale University in 1984. His research examines human memory, cognition and decision making, especially as it relates to spatial processing and cues in navigation and orientation.

He’s found that his psychological studies have informed his leadership style.

In the Virtual Reality Lab, Professor Tim McNamara and student Qiliang He use immersive virtual reality to study the way the brain navigates in total darkness, 2015. (John Russell/Vanderbilt)

Graduate student Qiliang He performs one of the trials with the assistance of Professor McNamara, 2015. The black cameras mounted near the ceiling precisely track the position of his head, information the computer uses to control the simulation. (John Russell / Vanderbilt)

“In the domain of decision making, we know that people tend to use heuristics, or rules of thumb, to make decisions. But those rules of thumb can lead to bad decisions,” he said. “As one example, people think that events are common if instances readily come to mind, but, in fact, this isn’t true. I try to avoid this trap by forcing myself or asking somebody else to investigate the situation and gather information before I make a decision.”

He stressed that an essential lesson from psychology is the need and value of working in community.

“We tend to have a very individualistic society in this country. Many of us act like our accomplishments are our own and that we are able to achieve excellence largely through our own individual hard work. I think one of the most important lessons in psychological science is that that’s just not true. People’s success depends critically on the support of other people, support of social structures,” he said.

LEADERSHIP PILLAR

McNamara said that through his decades of leadership a consistent pillar of his style is how he treats people in the workplace.

“I value equity and transparency in decision making; making sure that we are treating people fairly and that we have transparent processes and procedures so that people know how decisions are made,” he said.

GET TO KNOW TIM

WHAT ABOUT YOU MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE?

“Maybe it would surprise people that I do a lot of maintenance on our home. I’m kind of an amateur electrician and plumber. I enjoy being able to be involved in something where the outcome is crystal clear whether it works or not; there’s no ambiguity. If you replace a light switch, it either works or it doesn’t.”

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES?

“I’m an avid skier, hiker and fly fisher. These interests take me and my wife to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the Wind River Mountains. We try to spend a few weeks in Jackson Hole in the summer, and then I’ll periodically get away on weekends or when the university is closed over the holiday break. Every summer I do a backpacking and fly fishing trip in Wyoming with an old friend of mine and my two daughters. My wife and I also like to take our small camper to East Tennessee. I try to get out to Percy Warner every weekend and go running with my dog. Running is a euphemism. I’m so slow!”

“I really feel relaxed and alive in the wilderness. It’s my place to breathe. You’re connected with the natural world. It’s kind of spiritual for me.”

Tim McNamara rests during an annual hiking and camping trip with his daughters Alex and Kalen. (Submitted photo)

Tim McNamara and a friend celebrate reaching their eighth peak in the mountains of Wyoming. (Submitted photo)

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SKILL, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

“Fluency in at least two or three languages. About 10 years ago I started teaching myself Spanish. I can read and write it pretty well and speak very slowly, but my oral comprehension is horrible. I really wish that when I was in college, I had focused on learning languages and done study abroad and become fluent. That’s my biggest regret.”

DO YOU HAVE A POSSESSION THAT YOU CHERISH?

“I don’t cherish things; I cherish people. I cherish our dogs. I cherish my wife, our children, my siblings and their families, my friends, my colleagues. I cherish places like the wilderness of East Tennessee. And I love Wyoming, especially the Wind River mountains. But in terms of stuff? No, it’s not me. It’s all replaceable.”

By Amy Wolf

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