After more than 12 years of service to Vanderbilt, Eric C. Kopstain has announced his plans to step down as vice chancellor at the end of December.
Formerly Vanderbilt’s associate vice chancellor for finance, Kopstain was named vice chancellor for administration in 2014 after a nationwide search. A distinguished leader with more than three decades of experience in higher education administration, finance and planning, Kopstain first came to Vanderbilt in May 2012 from Harvard University, where he was associate dean of finance for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
“Leaving Vanderbilt is certainly bittersweet, but at this time, it is very important for me to shift my priorities to focus on my personal health and well-being. I’m immensely proud of all we accomplished to ensure Vanderbilt is a great place to work, a leader in sustainability and the built environment, and in carefully navigating the COVID-19 pandemic alongside students, faculty and staff,” Kopstain said. “I’m thankful to have spent the past 12 years at Vanderbilt and excited to embark on the next phase of my life.”
Over his decade as a vice chancellor, Kopstain strategically led and directed Vanderbilt’s administrative infrastructure, a broad and evolving portfolio that included human resources; business services; facilities and construction; contract and grant accounting; public safety; environmental health and safety; traffic and parking; printing services; health and wellness for faculty and staff; Vanderbilt Child and Family Centers; and equal opportunity, affirmative action and disability services.
Under Kopstain’s leadership, Vanderbilt was named a best employer in Tennessee by Forbes, received the Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Award for its MoveVU transportation initiative, reduced greenhouse gas emissions 35 percent from 2016 to 2022, and received an international Stevie Award this year for the university’s sustainability efforts. Vanderbilt also received a Tennessee Governor’s Environmental Stewardship award in 2021 and again in 2024, and a U.S. Green Building Council Leadership Award in 2020.
“We appreciate Vice Chancellor Kopstain’s leadership and his significant contributions to Vanderbilt over the past dozen years,” Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. “From shepherding the university through one of its most challenging chapters during the pandemic to his work advancing residential colleges and sustainability, Eric’s contributions to Vanderbilt are wide-ranging and will have a lasting legacy. We wish him the best.”
In addition to overseeing the immense logistical operations that keep Vanderbilt running on a day-to-day basis, Kopstain played a key leadership role in strategic initiatives such as the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, campus safety enhancements, and development of the West End Neighborhood of residential colleges. Some of Kopstain’s accomplishments include:
- His contributions to sustainability initiatives including a first-of-its-kind renewable energy partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority and Nashville Electric Service and a joint venture with Clearloop for a solar farm in Panola County, Mississippi, that will offset nearly 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions
- Co-chairing the Nashville Sustainability Advisory Committee within the mayor’s office
- Leading efforts to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for multiple Vanderbilt facilities
Diermeier has named Darren Reisberg as the new vice chancellor for administration effective Jan. 1, 2025, and has announced a nationwide search to fill the new position of vice chancellor for real estate and campus planning.
