Donna is the CTTC Director of Operations.
Donna joined CTTC in March 2024 and is responsible for leading operations and project management activities to optimize the Center's performance and effectiveness. Prior to joining CTTC, Donna served as Associate Director for Vanderbilt's Research Development and Support team after transitioning from her role as Assistant Director of Operations for the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health. Prior to her career at Vanderbilt, Donna worked in drug discovery and then in epidemiology and global public health at Moffitt Cancer Center, including roles managing laboratories, project teams, and operations.
We caught up with Donna to learn more about her contributions in the Vanderbilt innovation system.
What inspired you to join the CTTC and lead its Operations team?
Ultimately, my career goal has always been to help ensure meaningful outcomes from science and research. Along the way, I’ve held roles in drug discovery, epidemiology and statistics, global health and operations, and research development. Before joining CTTC, I had already collaborated with a number of the team members on large institutional and regional initiatives and gotten a front row seat to the breadth and impact of their work. When the operations role became available, it felt like an optimal way to utilize the greatest possible range of my rather eclectic skill set. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the team is exceptionally smart, hardworking, and genuinely enjoyable to work with.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?
I love that every day is different, and in Operations, very little is “out of scope,” which means I get to be at the exciting intersection of strategy, logistics, and relationships for a wide range of activities and initiatives. Having worked at both VU and VUMC in previous roles, I love that CTTC serves both institutions directly and I get to interface with faculty and staff who have the most incredible, impactful research. I also really enjoy finding ways to connect our activities at CTTC across the Vanderbilt, Nashville, and regional ecosystem, ensuring that we’re strategically aligned across all aspects of Vanderbilt innovation and entrepreneurship, and collaborative rather than unintentionally competitive. And CTTC has a fantastic team with brilliant ideas in an era when universities are increasingly interested in translating innovation – it’s always rewarding to help figure out how to turn these into executable plans and then see them succeed.
How does the Operations team contribute to CTTC’s success?
My colleagues in operations are phenomenal, and they do the behind-the-scenes work that often goes unseen. We support all CTTC units – licensing, new ventures, industry collaborations, finance, and beyond - by keeping processes, events, communications, and day-to-day operations running smoothly. We’re always looking for ways to optimize efficiency, enhance the services CTTC provides, reduce barriers for faculty engagement, and amplify Vanderbilt’s innovation successes to internal and external audiences.
What do you do for fun?
I enjoy anything outdoors with my family – hiking, sports, gardening, etc. A lot of school activities, and kiddo soccer coaching during the fall and spring seasons. I also love animals, so my dog Dolly and I are a pet therapy team, and our house is a revolving door for fostering four-legged furballs from Nashville Humane Association.
What is a fun fact about you?
I bake to relieve stress. I’m confident that my kids will eventually figure out the link and try to intentionally trigger this response.