Endowed Chairs

FAQs

What is an endowed chair or professorship?

It is the highest academic award that the University can bestow on a faculty member, and it lasts as long as the University exists. Thus, it is both an honor to the named holder of the appointment and also an enduring tribute to the donor who establishes it. An endowed faculty position is supported by the annual payout from a privately funded endowment. The endowment may cover the faculty salary, research, and travel stipends or other associated costs and continues in perpetuity. Endowed faculty professorships and chairs are crucial for recruiting and retaining the highest-quality faculty. The greatest institutions have the best minds, the most-creative researchers, and the most-engaged teachers. Building a mighty base of faculty talent enriches the academic environment, which attracts the brightest students.

How do I make a gift to endow a chair?

For more information on establishing an endowed chair at Owen, contact Joe Teague, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Development and Alumni Relations at 615-322-2049.

Complete list of Endowed Chairs

Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker, Jr., Chair

Mr. Thomas B. Walker, Jr., Managing Partner of Goldman Sachs and Company, and Mrs. Anne Marie Walker established these endowed chairs at the Owen School in 1980 as a living and continuing manifestation of their loyalty and affection for Vanderbilt University and their deep faith in and high esteem for business education in America.

Richard Willis, Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker, Jr., Professor of Accounting

Kelly Haws, Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker, Jr., Professor of Marketing

Brownlee O. Currey Chair

Mrs. Frances Hampton Currey established this chair in memory of her late husband, who founded Equitable Securities Corporation in 1933 and served as its President until his death in 1952. Mr. Currey was active in the Vanderbilt Alumni Association and was a member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust.

Ray Friedman, Brownlee O. Currey Professor of Management

Brownlee O. Currey, Jr., Chairs

The gift of Mrs. Frances Hampton Currey was also used to establish 2 additional chairs in honor of her son and Nashville businessman, Brownlee O. Currey, Jr.

Bruce Barry, Brownlee O. Currey, Jr., Professor of Management and Professor of Sociology

Tim Vogus, Brownlee O. Currey, Jr., Professor of Management

Cal Turner Chair

Cal Turner, Jr., established this chair in 1999 in affiliation with the Cal Turner Center for Moral Leadership. This Center of Excellence seeks to foster an environment conducive to faculty research and teaching in areas associated with moral leadership, to develop students’ ability to provide moral leadership within their chosen professions as well as within the broader community, and to provide a resource to professionals in the community.

Bart Victor, Cal Turner Professor of Moral Leadership

María del Carmen Triana, Cal Turner Professor of Moral Leadership

David K. Wilson Chair

Established in 2000 through the generosity of Mrs. Valere Blair Potter and the Justin Potter Foundation, this chair honors the many years of outstanding contributions of David K. (Pat) Wilson, BA '41, to the Owen Graduate School of Management. Mr. Wilson served as Chairman of Cherokee Equity Corporation, was a life member of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust, and was one of the founders of the Owen School in 1969.

Brian McCann, David K. Wilson Professor of Management

E. Bronson Ingram Chairs

These 6 chairs are newly endowed and a generous gift given to the school to honor the memory of E. Bronson Ingram, former CEO of Ingram Industries and former head of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust.

Paul Chaney, E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Accounting

Dawn Iacobucci, E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Marketing

Kelly Goldsmith, E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Marketing

David Parsley, E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Economics and Finance

Steven Posavac, E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Marketing

Frances Hampton Currey Chair

This chair was generously provided through the bequest of Mrs. Frances Hampton Currey. The chair was named in 1982 to honor her memory and to express the Owen School's gratitude for her support and generosity.

William Christie, Frances Hampton Currey Professor of Finance

Daniel Cohen, Frances Hampton Currey Chair Professor of Accounting

Frank K. Houston Chair

Frank K. Houston, the late honorary Chairman of the board of the Chemical Bank New York Trust Company, left funds to bring to the faculty an exceptional individual in the fields of banking and finance. Mr. Houston served on the Vanderbilt Board of Trust from 1937 until his death in 1973 and was one of the first to support the idea of a graduate school of management at Vanderbilt.

Nicolas P. B. Bollen, Frank K. Houston Professor of Finance

James A. Speyer Chair

The James A. Speyer Chair of Production Management was established in 1993 by Lester D. 'Les' Speyer and his family to support a faculty member at the Owen Graduate School of Management in the field of operations management. This fund was established to honor the memory of his eldest son, James 'Jim', who died in a plane crash in 1991. Jim Speyer was a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University where he received master's degrees in electrical engineering and industrial management. He was president and manager of Midwest Folding Products manufacturing operation in Chicago and its Escondido, California, distribution company, Western Wholesale Appliance Corp. He was also a director of Tennsco, a metal manufacturing company in Dickson, Tennessee, founded by his father in 1962. A commercial, instrument and instructor rated pilot, Jim shared a passion for flying with his father. As manufacturers and business people, Les Speyer and his family desired to support every aspect of the educational system in hopes that young people would be encouraged to enter the field of manufacturing management. The Speyer Chair is a tribute not only to Jim but also to the value that the family places on higher education.

Nancy Lea Hyer, James A. Speyer Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Production Management; Associate Dean Curriculum and Learning

Justin Potter Chair

The late Mrs. Valere Blair Potter established this chair in memory of her husband, who died in 1961. A Tennessee businessman and Vanderbilt alumnus, Mr. Potter founded the Nashville Coal Company. Mr. Potter left half of his estate to the Justin Potter Foundation for charitable purposes.

Mark Cohen, Justin Potter Professor of American Competitive Enterprise, Emeritus

Madison S. Wigginton Chair

This chair was created in 1995 through the generosity of Mrs. Valere Blair Potter and the Justin Potter Foundation at the direction of David K. Wilson. It honors "Matt" Wigginton, BA '22, MA '23, a life member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, one of the founders of the Owen Graduate School of Management, and the first Chairman of The Owen Associates.

Craig Lewis, Madison S. Wigginton Professor of Management

Richard M. and Betty Ruth Miller Chair in Healthcare Management

The Richard M. and Betty Ruth Miller Chair in Healthcare Management was established in 2000 by Richard Miller, B.A. 1952, Betty Ruth Miller, and an anonymous donor to support a faculty member in healthcare management at the Owen Graduate School of Management.

Rangaraj Ramanujam, Richard M. and Betty Ruth Miller Professor of Management

Ralph Owen Chair

This chair is named in honor of the late distinguished American businessman Ralph Owen, who served for 20 years as president of Equitable Securities and 8 years as Chairman of American Express Company. A life member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, Mr. Owen was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and the Chancellor's Council. The Owen School was named for Mr. Owen and his wife, Lulu Hampton Owen.

Thomas J. Steenburgh, Ralph Owen Dean and Professor of Marketing

Bruce D. Henderson Chair

The chair was established in 2008 by Mrs. Bess Henderson to honor her late husband, Bruce Henderson, who was one of the original founders of the Boston Consulting Group and who taught a strategy class at Owen in the 1980s.

M. Eric Johnson, Bruce D. Henderson Professor of Strategy and Ralph Owen Dean, Emeritus

Dean Samuel B. and Evelyn R. Richmond Chair

This chair was established in 2004 by alumni David Ingram, MBA ’89, and John Ingram, MBA ’86, to honor the Owen Dean who served from 1976 until 1986.

Bruce Cooil, Dean Samuel B. and Evelyn R. Richmond Professor of Management

Jennifer Edson Escalas, Dean Samuel B. and Evelyn R. Richmond Professor of Marketing

Valere Blair Potter Chair

This chair, like the Justin Potter Chair, was established through the generosity of Mrs. Potter and the Justin Potter Foundation.

Robert Whaley, Valere Blair Potter Professor of Management in Finance

The Hans Stoll Chair

The Hans Stoll Chair was established in 2007 by multiple donors and David Ingram, MBA '89, to provide support to a faculty member at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. This Chair was established to honor the longtime director of the Financial Markets Research Center, Professor Hans Stoll.

Berk Sensoy, The Hans Stoll Professor of Management

William C. Oehmig Chair

This chair was established in 2000 with a gift from William C. (Billy) Oehmig. Mr. Oehmig, MBA '73, is a principal with the Sterling Group in Houston, Texas, and has been an active leader at Owen since his graduation. In addition to this chair, Mr. Oehmig established the William C. Oehmig Scholarship at Owen in 1992.

Luke Froeb, William C. Oehmig Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise