Epilogue
Betsega Bekele, MEd’14, National Storyteller
Mar. 11, 2021—Betsega Bekele, MEd'14, helps lead American Portrait, a multiplatform, national storytelling project tied to PBS’ 50th anniversary celebration. The digital-first initiative that launched online in January 2020 is centered on this question: What does it really mean to be an American today?
Bea Martin, MA’62, Lifelong Educator
Feb. 25, 2021—Annie Beatrice “Bea” Martin, a retired teacher and administrator who was committed to education, outreach and social justice, died Oct. 11, 2020. She was 87.
James Tuck, BA’40, LLB’47, Witness to Nashville History
Feb. 25, 2021—James Richard Tuck of Nashville, retired associate general counsel of the National Life and Accident Insurance Co. and charter member of the Nashville Metropolitan Council, died Aug. 20, 2020. He was 102. Over his long life, he was part of some key stories in the 20th-century history of Nashville.
Owen Forward Highlights Alumni Business Leaders
Feb. 25, 2021—The Vanderbilt community heard unique insights and discussions with business leaders and innovators at Owen Forward, a weeklong virtual celebration of Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management held Nov. 9–13.
Janie Kaiser, BS’15, Education Entrepreneur
Feb. 25, 2021—Education Concern Center Nepal, or ECC, was cofounded in 2017 by Janie Kaiser, BS'15, who serves as its managing director. The center uses a four-part program—teacher training, classroom materials, improved infrastructure and teacher support—to expand educational resources in Nepal's remote schools.
Janina Jeff, MS’12, PhD’12, Finding Lost Identities
Feb. 25, 2021—The first African American to earn a doctorate in human genetics from Vanderbilt, Janina Jeff, MS'12, PhD'12, launched an award-winning podcast called "In Those Genes" that translates cutting-edge genetic research into everyday language that uncovers the lost identities of African-descended Americans through the lens of Black culture.
Inaugural ’Dores in Dialogue Event Examines Racial Disparities
Feb. 19, 2021—A new Vanderbilt event series highlighting diverse voices on vital issues, ’Dores in Dialogue, kicked off on Dec. 2, 2020, with a conversation on eliminating racial disparities in public safety and policing. The event was presented by the Vanderbilt Alumni Association and the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni.
Bob Rolfe, EMBA’88, Community Investor
Feb. 19, 2021—Lessons learned in the executive MBA program at Owen have helped Bob Rolfe, EMBA'88, in business and as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
Kim Wolensky: Creative Philanthropy
Feb. 19, 2021—Kim Wolensky, BS'79, MBA'80, has documented her intent to establish the Kim E. Lazarus Scholarship to provide need-based financial support for deserving students at Owen by designating Vanderbilt as the beneficiary of an individual retirement account to endow the scholarship, with a separate portion directed to her sorority Alpha Delta Pi–Zeta Rho chapter.
Dr. Jill Moses, MD’91, and Annie Moon, MSN’03, lead the fight against COVID-19 in the Navajo Nation
Feb. 18, 2021—Two Vanderbilt alumnae—Dr. Jill Moses, MD’91, and Annie Moon, MSN’03—are helping lead the fight against COVID-19 in the Navajo Nation, the country’s largest Native American reservation.
’Dores to Gratitude
Feb. 18, 2021—A note of thanks to all the alumni who volunteered their time, expertise and energy to support Vanderbilt students during the unprecedented challenges of the past year from Vanderbilt Alumni Association President Tim Warnock
Fleming, professor of pediatrics and vice president of VUMC Continuous Professional Development, has died
Dec. 10, 2020—Geoffrey Fleming, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and vice president of Vanderbilt University Medical Center Continuous Professional Development, died Dec. 8. He was 50. Fleming was diagnosed with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma in August 2019.