Spend five minutes with Tony Hmelo, a research professor whose work has taken him from NASA to nanoscience and from New York to Nashville.

Gary Jaeger could probably improve the writing in this magazine standing on his head.

If Vanderbilt University could be characterized by one building, it would have to be Kirkland Hall. Up the stone stairs worn smooth by a century of foot traffic lies the heart of the university.

Mouzon Siddiqi has participated and thrived in international relations from Alabama to Afghanistan. Most of that time and effort have been on the Vanderbilt campus, where she serves as program coordinator for the Graduate Program in Economic Development (GPED).

Even as a high school student, Molly Boland Thompson, BA’99, knew that Vanderbilt University was the place for her. She found her campus home in the College of Arts and Science, first as an English major during her undergraduate matriculation and now as school registrar.

You can call it kismet, karma or serendipity, but whatever approach you prefer, there is little doubt that Penelope “Penny” Peirce is exactly where she’s supposed to be—at the helm of Technology Support Services for the College of Arts and Science.

Nashville and Vanderbilt benefitted when Malah Tidwell returned to her hometown nine years ago. An administrative assistant with the College of Arts and Science’s development and alumni relations office, she takes care of alumni, students and colleagues with a loving hand. “Malah is the heart and soul of the Arts and Science development team,” says Jonathan Petty, associate dean for development and alumni relations.

His license plate proclaims “SAFTBOB.” That moniker conveys Bob Wheaton’s mission as Vanderbilt’s executive director of environmental health and safety, sustainability and environmental management. Is there a funny smell in Benson Hall? Wheaton and his staff of 34 want to know about it.

“Norma Antillon is the glue that holds us together,” says Ted Fischer, professor of anthropology and director of the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies (CLAIS). “She is our public face, the person who shepherds students through the program. She knows where our alums are and what they’re doing, and through her, gives them a tight connection to the center. When alums call, they always ask about Norma.”