About Us

• 2020 – Candice S. Lee: First woman to Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Athletic Director, as well as the first Black woman to head an SEC athletics program.
• 1999 – Martha R. Ingram: First woman to serve as chairman of the Board of Trust (1999–2011)
• 1999 – Lauren Briskey: First woman Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer (Administration).
• 1998 – Camilla Benbow: First women Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.
• 1987 – Sharon Fluker: First African-American woman to become an Assistant Dean of the Vanderbilt Graduate School
• 1987 – Barbara Bowen: First woman to chair a department (French and Italian) in the Vanderbilt College of Arts and Sciences.
• 1986 – Enid Katahn: First woman professor at Blair School of Music (professor of piano).
• 1985 – Francis Edwards: First woman elected president of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association. (BSN, 1953; MSN, 1976)
• 1983 – Allaire U. Karzon: First woman to become tenured at Vanderbilt Law School.
• 1983 – Joan Chandler: First African-American woman department head (Director of materials distribution) in Medical Center.
• 1981 – Pat Pierce: First woman director of Vanderbilt Opportunity Development Center.
• 1980 – Lillian Wynn: First African-American to graduate from the Vanderbilt Divinity School.
• 1980 – Charlotte Fischer: First woman tenured in Vanderbilt School of Engineering.
• 1979 – Bertha Holliday: First African-American faculty member of Peabody College.
• 1978 – Kim Shafer: First woman elected president of the Vanderbilt Student Government Association.
• 1978 – Nancy Ransom: First Director of the Vanderbilt Women’s Center.
• 1978 – Janice Jones: One of two first African-American woman to graduate from Vanderbilt Medical School.
• 1978 – Mary E. Higgs (Skipp): First director of University Publications.
• 1978 – Darlene Dailey: One of two first African-American women to graduate from Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
• 1977 – Henrietta R. Davis: First woman Director of Personnel, 1977.
• 1977 – Mary E. Higgs (Skipp): First woman editor of University Publications.
• 1976 – Ingebord Mauksch: First woman awarded an endowed chair at Vanderbilt (Valere Potter Distinguished Professor of Nursing).
• 1975 – Sallie McFague: First woman Dean of the Vanderbilt Divinity School and first woman Dean of a theological school in the United States.
• 1974 – Mildred Stahlman: First woman to chair the Vanderbilt Faculty Senate.
• 1974 – Eve Lee: First African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt (German).
• 1973 – Ruth G. Zibart: First woman named Associate Dean of the Vanderbilt College of Arts and Sciences.
• 1973 – Marice Wolfe: First woman named University Archivist at Vanderbilt.
• 1973 – Margaret Cuninggim: First woman to hold the title of dean for student life at Vanderbilt.
• 1972 – Martha C. Daughtrey: First woman faculty member appointed at the Law School.
• 1970 – Bobbi Perdue: First African-American woman to graduate from the Vanderbilt School of Nursing.
• 1968 – Portia Poindexter: First African-American woman to be awarded a graduate degree at Vanderbilt (M.A.T. in History).
• 1966 – Susan Gray: Founder and first director of the Peabody Demonstration and Research Center for Early Education.
• 1964 – Mary J. Werthan: First woman on the Vanderbilt Board of Trust.
• 1964 – Elsie Quarterman: First woman Chair (Department of General Biology).
• 1956 – Mia Hardcastle: First women Engineering Founder’s Medalist. She was also the first woman president of the Engineering Alumni Council.
• 1945 – Vera J. Jones: First woman to receive B.E. from the Vanderbilt School of Engineering.
• 1942 – Betty Freeman: First woman editor of The Hustler.
• 1933 – Linda Rhea: First woman to earn a Ph.D. in English at Vanderbilt.
• 1930 – Shirley C. Titus: First Dean of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing.
• 1930 – Susie C. Kachelhoffe: First woman to earn Bachelor of Divinity at Vanderbilt.
• 1929 – Imogene P. Earle: First woman to earn Ph.D. (Biochemistry) at Vanderbilt.
• 1929 – Thelma B. Bowie: One of two first women to graduate from Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
• 1929 – Louise A. Beard: One of two first women to graduate from Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
• 1925 – Ada B. Stapleton: First Dean of Women and first woman appointed professor of English at Vanderbilt.
• 1922 – Anna M. Bowie: First woman faculty member in the Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
• 1919 – Marie H. Means: First woman to earn a Ph.D. from Peabody.
• 1919 – Dorothy B. Loomis: First woman editor of The Commodore1919 – Clara M. W. Allen: First woman to receive L.L.B. degree.
• 1918 – Christine M. Gilbreth: First woman to graduate from Vanderbilt Dental School.
• 1913 – Mary W. Haggard: First woman named University Registrar at Vanderbilt.
• 1902 – Daisy Tuttle: One of the first three undergraduate women elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Vanderbilt.
• 1902 – Martha M. Maslin: One of the first three undergraduate women elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Vanderbilt.
• 1902 – Amelia B. Martin: One of the first three undergraduate women elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Vanderbilt.
• 1902 – Anna Brown: First Vanderbilt Alumna to be elected Phi Beta Kappa.
• 1900 – Martha E. Hunnicutt: First woman winner of the Founder’s Medal.
• 1891 – Annie Paschall: First woman to receive an entering scholarship at Vanderbilt.
• 1879 – Kate Lupton: First woman to receive a Vanderbilt degree (Master of Arts).
• 1875 – Julia Sears: One of two first faculty women at Peabody College.
• 1875 – Emma B. Cutter: One of two first faculty women at Peabody College.

Retrieved from the Vanderbilt Library archives.