Alumni

Tommy Oswalt, BA’20, did not come to Vanderbilt with a mapped-out plan for his major. That initially made him nervous, but the first-generation college student jumped in with an open mind and a passion for building community—paving the way for a successful career. Read More

Barney S. Graham, PhD'91, chief architect for the first experimental COVID-19 vaccine, will give the School of Medicine Basic Sciences Dean’s Lecture on Oct. 17 and be presented with the 2021 Distinguished Alumnus Award by Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. Read More

An award-winning television producer, a journalist-turned-scholar of media innovation, a co-founder of Vandy-in-Hollywood, an opinion editor at The New York Times, and an award-winning entertainment correspondent are the latest inductees in the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame. Read More

Stephanie Oberhausen, BMus’04, has been named associate vice chancellor and chief development officer for Vanderbilt University, effective Oct. 3. Oberhausen will continue to direct leadership philanthropy efforts and provide strategic oversight of school, college, unit, athletics and planned giving development as well as campaign management. Read More

San Francisco-based venture capital firm Bee Partners now boasts two Vanderbilt graduates among its leadership: Founder Michael Berolzheimer, BS'00, and Kira Noodleman, BA'08, who recently was promoted to partner and now leads the Denver office.    Read More

A $5 million gift from Robert M. Levy, BA’72, and his wife, Diane vS. Levy, to Vanderbilt University will provide internship stipends for deserving undergraduate students and seek additional giving through a challenge match. Read More

Vanderbilt University ranks No. 13 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings. The university also received high rankings in the Best Value Schools and Academic Programs to Look For categories. Read More

This past May, despite skeptics, politics and a global pandemic, Ingram’s Nashville SC opened the doors of the largest soccer-specific stadium in North America: Geodis Park, a 30,000-seat facility. Already a success in the league, having made the playoffs in their first two MLS seasons while playing elsewhere, the “Boys in Gold” finally have a home of their own, where they hope not only to become a community institution but also someday lift trophies. Read More

Vanderbilt held 52 Commodore Launch events this summer to welcome members of the Class of 2026, incoming transfer students and their families. Hosted by Vanderbilt alumni and parents, the annual gatherings are an opportunity to introduce new undergraduate students and families to the university community. Read More

The latest chapter of Vandy United was highlighted Sept. 8 when artists’ renderings of the Lummis Family Tennis Center were unveiled. Fred and Claudia Lummis, both BA’76, and their sons Fred III, Dan, BA’05, and Ben, BA’08, made a lead gift with the goal of inspiring other alumni and donors to champion state-of-the-art tennis facilities to benefit both the Vanderbilt and greater Nashville communities. Read More

Patricia Ingram Hart, one of Vanderbilt University’s most generous benefactors, died Aug. 13 at her home in Nashville. Read More

Miti Joshi, BS’19, has been taking what she calls “leaps of faith” ever since she left Mumbai, India, to attend Vanderbilt University. These bold and sometimes scary moves have led her to experience life-changing opportunities at the School of Engineering and have helped her find her passion as a successful woman in tech. Read More

Jim Schifman, BS'90, and his wife, Melissa, launched Project Hive Pet Company last year, selling dog toys and treats that directly contribute to rebuilding bee habitats. Their beehive-themed dog toys are sustainably manufactured in the United States and the company donates 1 percent of gross sales to the Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund, which works with private, public and corporate partners to help establish and manage pollinator habitats on their lands. Read More

Chris Webb, BE'90, is the CEO and co-founder of Foresight Augmented Reality, a cutting-edge technology that allows those with visual impairments to live more independently. Read More

Paul K. Conkin, Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, former chair of the Department of History and author of more than 20 books on a wide range of American intellectual history, died July 23 in Nashville. Read More

Megan Piphus Peace, BA’14, MSF’15, is an accomplished ventriloquist and puppeteer who has performed in front of audiences across the nation, including on The Tonight Show and America’s Got Talent. In 2021, she made history as the first Black female puppeteer to work on the long-running children’s television show Sesame Street. Read More

At the beginning of 2022, the School of Medicine launched a $5 million Dean’s Scholarship Challenge to help ensure that tomorrow’s leaders in medicine are educated at Vanderbilt. The success of the early months of the effort has prompted the university to boost the available matching funds by $5 million. Read More

John R. Ingram, a longtime university benefactor whose generosity continues to shape the historic Vandy United campaign, will be honored as the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame’s Tennessean of the Year on July 23. The event also serves as the induction ceremony for a Hall of Fame class that includes the late David Williams II, former vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director, and former Vanderbilt golf and football standout Toby Wilt. Read More

Imani Ellis, BA'12, went from being an NBC page to vice president in 10 short years. As the NBCUniversal’s vice president of communications, she leads a team that creates comprehensive press strategies and media campaigns for unscripted shows across the NBCU portfolio.  Read More

The Vanderbilt Alumni Association has welcomed a new president and two other alumni leaders to its board. Read More