Vanderbilt bolstered its commitment to civic engagement in Nashville and middle Tennessee with two senior leadership hires in recent weeks. Kathleen Fuchs Hritz joined the Division of Government and Community Relations as senior director of community relations on March 6. Eben Cathey joined the division in October 2022 as senior director for local government relations.
Hritz is an experienced higher education administrator with an extensive background in nonprofit management and community building. Prior, she was assistant director for Vanderbilt’s Turner Family Center for Social Ventures at the Owen Graduate School of Management.
In her role as senior director of community relations, she will focus on supporting Vanderbilt’s mission, values and priorities by developing and maintaining strong relationships and by supporting programs and projects with community organizations and community leaders.
“Kathleen is known for cultivating strong partnerships that lead to positive systemic change,” said Vice Chancellor for Government and Community Relations Nathan Green. “Her skill in working well with a variety of organizations will help Vanderbilt continue to build relationships on behalf of the university that impact lives.”
Cathey, a land use and communications consultant with broad experience working for Metro Nashville government, will represent the university’s interests with the Mayor’s office and Metro Council.
He came to Vanderbilt from Calvert Street Group, where he guided development projects through regulatory approval processes — with a focus on Davidson County — since March 2021.
“I am honored for my new role that will help amplify the university’s perspective on local initiatives and legislative priorities,” Cathey said. “This is an exciting time to be at Vanderbilt, especially with the university’s commitment to strengthening ties to Nashville and opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration.”