WATCH VIDEO
As we honor the Class of 2020, watch the Owen celebration video, enjoy a collection of photos
commemorating the Owen experience, and congratulate our award winners!
We look forward to continuing the celebration in-person in May 2021!
Owen Marshals
Jeremy Eskind Lehman
MBA 2020
Supply Chain Consultant, KPMG
“I’m so lucky to have spent the last two years learning with/from such a talented group of peers. I am thankful to be coming away from Owen with such a strong network, and I look forward to hearing about your successes for years to come.”
Scott Alexander Luvin
MBA 2020
Senior Consultant, Deloitte Consulting
"Congrats to all my fellow classmates! Vanderbilt provided you with the skills, but it is up to you to live out your passion. As we go forward, don’t let fear dictate your decisions. Live out the legacy you want to leave. Always remember the amazing friends you have made and the community you built at Vanderbilt. They will be here to support you, just as you should support them."
SHARE ON SOCIAL
We encourage you and your family members to share photos and videos of your own graduation celebrations using the hashtag #VU2020 and #owenlife so we can enjoy this special day together.
Add a frame on your Facebook profile by selecting Vanderbilt Owen.
You can also use these Vanderbilt backgrounds in your photos and videos.
Founder's Medalist
University Interim Chancellor Susan Wente awarded Joshua Andrew Bruner the Founder’s Medal for the Owen School. This award, originally endowed by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1877, is given to the MBA graduate who achieves the strongest record in personal, professional, and academic performance. Josh, recipient of the Bruce D. Henderson and Hans R. Stoll Scholarships, was president of the Owen Finance Club, and he describes mentoring and coaching undergraduate students through their career searches as one of his most meaningful Owen experiences. After graduating, Josh and his family will move to Richmond, Virginia, where Josh will join Harris Williams as an investment banking associate.
Awards & Recognition for Faculty
Brian T. McCann, David K. Wilson Professor of Management, was awarded the James A. Webb Excellence in Teaching Award and the Executive MBA Faculty Teaching award.
Finalists for Webb Faculty Teaching Award are:
Kelly Goldsmith, Associate Professor of Marketing
Mumin Kurtulus, Associate Professor of Operations Management
Benjamin Munyan, Assistant Professor of Finance
Ranga Ramanujam, Richard M. and Betty Ruth Miller Professor of Management; Professor of Health Policy
Finalists for the Executive MBA Faculty Teaching award are:
Dawn Iacobucci, E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Management in Marketing
Mumin Kurtulus, Associate Professor of Operations Management
The recipients of the Dean’s Faculty Awards
- Yasin Alan, Assistant Professor of Operations Management, received the Dean’s Award for Research Productivity, which recognizes individuals for significant scholarly productivity.
- Bart Victor, Cal Turner Professor of Moral Leadership and Faculty Advisor, Turner Family Center, received the Dean’s Award for Research Impact, which recognizes individuals for a significant impact in a discipline or field arising from a body of scholarly research.
- Kelly Goldsmith, Associate Professor of Marketing, received the Dean’s Award for Teaching, which recognizes individuals for significant contributions to teaching and learning.
Special Service Award
This year, we are recognizing one faculty member and several staff members with a one-time gOwenRemote Special Award for Service to Teaching, for their work in supporting the transition to remote delivery. We are pleased to recognize:
- Emily Anderson, Senior Director, Career Management Center
- Kathryn-Claire Barlas, Faculty Support
- Jesse Blocher, Assistant Professor of Finance
- Scott Elam, Program Coordinator, Financial Markets Research Center
- Blake Gore, Senior Associate Director, Career Management Center
- Morgan Leeson, Program Coordinator, Student Programs Office
Other Awards & Recognition
The Dean's Award for Academic Excellence is awarded annually to a graduating student from each of our degree programs. These students have achieved the strongest record in personal, professional, and academic performance in meeting requirements of the degree. The recipients are:
- William Vincent Szymczak, who received the Matt Wigginton Leadership Award, awarded for outstanding performance in finance.
- Brittany Hunter, who received the H. Igor Ansoff Award, which recognizes original and creative contributions to the school.
- Katherine Mary Smigelski, who received the Flournoy A. Coles Jr. Prize in recognition of international studies.
- Brian Kim Baird, who received the Financial Executives Institute Award for outstanding academic performance in both accounting and finance.
- Hayden Margaret Mahaney, who received the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in the Master of Accountancy program.
- Michael Joseph Graehler, Jr., who received the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in the Master of Science in Finance program.
- Sienna Aboud, who received the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in the Master of Marketing program.
- Elizabeth Conn Harr, who received the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in the MBA program.
- Nikila Ravi, who received the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in the Executive MBA program.
- Olamide Zaka, who received the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in the Master of Management in Health Care (Fall 2019) program.
- Stanislava Vazna, who received the Martin S. Geisel Award for Leadership in the Executive MBA program.
Twenty-one graduating students received the Owen Service Award for outstanding effort and energy in leadership, community involvement, and student life. They are:
| Daisuke Akimoto | Shanah Leigh Gaskill | Eleanor Grace McBrier |
| Kathryn Bennett | Mallory RuthAnn Hall | Emily Jane Murray |
| Gus Gordon Brand | Brenna Rachel Hoffman | Julie O'Mara |
| Julia Dickinson Bridgforth | Neel Ajit Joshi | Jonathan Christian Schaefer |
| Benjamin Burkeen | Keara Brett Kelly | Katherine Mary Smigelski |
| Kookchul Cha | Cali Piper Livingstone | Ryan Christopher Smith |
| Rabo Garba | Laura Michelle Maguire | Carolyn Elyse Williams |
OWEN HONORS
Each year, Owen recognizes Honors students who have placed in the top 20% of their graduating class. Congratulations to this year’s recipients on their academic achievements!
Master of Management in Health Care (MMHC) Class of 2019
| Margaret Lucillie Burks | Geoffrey Michael Fleming | Sarah Louise Rohde | Olamide Zaka |
| Jeremy R. Crawford | Gina Marie Reppucci | Samuel Holt Rossmann |
Class of 2020
| Sienna Aboud | Andrew John Donald | Joshua Leighton | Emily Alexandra Richtsmeier |
| Alex Herbert Angelillo | Michael Steven Feliu | Scott Alexander Luvin | Travis John Rieder |
| Katherine Goudge Ankumah | Jackson Kirkland Garey | Laura Michelle Maguire | Michelle Lynn Sauer |
| Allison J. Ashford | Michael Joseph Graehler Jr. | Hayden Margaret Mahaney | Quinn Xavier Shue |
| Brian Kim Baird | Rodrigo Guerrero | Ricardo Marin | Katherine Mary Smigelski |
| Bridget Marie Bechtel | Tyler Hagenbach | Eleanor Grace McBrier | Ryan Christopher Smith |
| Coleman Chase Belk | Mallory RuthAnn Hall | Scott Thomas McMahan | Mark Smyslov |
| Alyse Bicknell | Elizabeth Conn Harr | Xiangxi Meng | Jacob Matthew Snow |
| Alexander Paul Boone | Mason Storm Hartsell | Andrew Thomas Miller | Caleb Prentice Stabler |
| Jacqueline Roesch Bradley | Evan Hattan | Miles Terence Mills | Morgan Elizabeth Stacks |
| Gus Gordon Brand | Katherine Lee Head | Richard Montgomery | Seth Edward Staugler |
| Julia Dickinson Bridgforth | Matthew Joseph Hood | Matthew Thomas Morgan | William Vincent Szymczak |
| Joshua Andrew Bruner | Mitchell Brent Ice | Tatum Grace Nix | Gabriella Tulchinsky |
| Michael Gennaro Castagna | Siyuan Jiang | Courtney Ryan O'Donnell | Stanislava Vazna |
| Rohini Chakravarthy | Neel Ajit Joshi | Zachary John Orbeck | Joshua Charles Vertolli |
| Mackenzie Anne Craig | Natasha Karimzadeh | Ryan Christopher Paxton | Joseph Houston Walker |
| Nathan Barney Creel | Rupneen Kaur | Ngoc Mai Pham | Mitchell Whitus |
| Nicholas Byron Dason | Keara Brett Kelly | Sundeep Podila | Lucian Connolly Wiest |
| Seth Dean | Aaron Alan Laviana | Thomas James Radler | |
| Jennifer Elizabeth Doll | Jeremy Eskind Lehman | Nikila Ravi |
PHOTO GALLERY
Closing Bell. Marketing Madness. Tailgate parties. Multicultural events. And yes—salsa lessons.
The days at Vanderbilt are filled with intellectual challenges, rigorous coursework, and meaningful questions that demand attention and analysis. Evenings are often spent in Management Hall with fellow students preparing for the next day, the next presentation, or the next test. But woven throughout those days and nights of hard work, there is a social life that makes the Owen experience one you will remember for years to come.
View Life at Owen Photos View Ceremony Photos
Vanderbilt Commencement Recap
Neil Ramsey (MBA’83), delivers remarks to Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management’s Class of 2020. Click here to watch the commencement ceremony, view the transcript of the commencement address and enjoy a collection of photos.