The Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board has announced the 2026 recipients of its annual alumni awards. The honorees will be celebrated during an event on Wed, Oct. 14, ahead of Reunion and Homecoming Weekend Oct. 15–18.
Charles King, BA’91, is the 2026 recipient of the Alumni Professional Achievement Award, which recognizes Vanderbilt alumni who have distinguished themselves through professional accomplishments and whose contributions honor the legacy of excellence at Vanderbilt.
King is founder and CEO of MACRO, a multi-platform media company representing the voice and perspectives of people of color. King casts the overall vision, mission and strategic goals for the company’s multiple business verticals, which include a film and television studio, talent and influencer management divisions, a branding and creative agency and an affiliated venture firm. MACRO produced Judas and the Black Messiah, which received an Academy Award nomination and earned numerous other accolades.
Before launching MACRO, King was partner/agent in the motion picture department at William Morris Endeavor. He is the first African American to rise from the training program in the Beverly Hills film and TV group to partner in that company’s 100+ year history, and the first African American partner of any major talent agency. An active angel investor and dedicated philanthropist, he is a member of AMPAS and sits on several nonprofit boards, including Paley Media, the Sundance Institute and College Track.
Blake-Anthony Johnson, BMUS’12, will receive the Early Career Professional Achievement Award.
The award recognizes alumni, age 40 and younger, for their significant record of career achievement and promise for professional success.
Johnson is an accomplished cellist who has performed internationally. He was previously president and CEO at the Chicago Sinfonietta and previous chief executive officer of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation. Johnson is the first African American executive to guide a nationally renowned orchestra.
Johnson serves as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Circle for the Blair School of Music. He has participated in career panels with Blair students, and he has participated in Alumni Association Chapter events.
Jarred Amato, BA’09, has been honored with the Service and Community Leadership Award, which recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through service to their community, country or society.
He is an award-winning English teacher and author of JUST READ IT: Unlocking the Magic of Independent Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms.
Amato is co-founder of Project LIT Community, a national, grassroots literacy movement comprised of a network of dedicated teachers and students who are committed to increasing access to culturally relevant books and promoting a love of reading in our schools and communities. What started as a book drive has morphed into a monthly book club where students, teachers and community members come together in a culture of shared reading. It has grown to more than 1,800 chapters across all 50 states.
Amato is a two-time Metro Nashville Public Schools Blue Ribbon teacher and the recipient of the Penguin Random House Teacher Award for Literacy and the Inspiring Educator Award from the Nashville Public Education Foundation.
Jim Snell, BS’91, has been awarded the Vanderbilt Way Award, which recognizes alumni for recent outstanding volunteer service to Vanderbilt schools, alumni groups and other university areas. The Vanderbilt Way embodies the university’s motto, Crescere aude, Latin for “dare to grow”—always growing together to fulfill our highest potential in service to society and our vibrant global Vanderbilt community.
Snell is the coach of the Vanderbilt University Rugby Football Club. The team, the longest-running club sports team at Vanderbilt, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020. Snell has been a part of the team for more than 25 years, beginning as a player in 1987, moving to an assistant in 1995 and becoming head coach in 2020. Snell—as a volunteer coach— has led Vanderbilt Rugby to five regional and national playoffs, including winning the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference Championship and making an appearance in the National College Rugby Playoffs.
He volunteers his time and money for equipment, travel and clinics, and he consistently demonstrates significant volunteer service to his university. He has worked to help undergraduates for 28 years on behalf of the university’s mission of helping all be the best they can be, because his own VU experiences were a big part of doing that for him.
