Vanderbilt Board of Trust extends Chairman Bruce R. Evans’ term to 2030

The Vanderbilt Board of Trust has voted to extend Bruce R. Evans' (BE'81) term as chairman for an additional three years, ending on June 30, 2030. Evans was elected to the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust in 2009 and became chairman in 2017.

"I'm honored by the board's vote of confidence and looking forward to continuing to work with Chancellor Diermeier, my fellow trustees and the university's leadership team as we map a bold future for Vanderbilt," Evans said. "From COVID to political headwinds to seismic changes in athletics, the past five years have been the most challenging and consequential for higher education in my lifetime. Yet at the same time, Vanderbilt is fulfilling its potential as never before. It is a privilege to help guide my alma mater, which has meant so much to me, through this era."

The resolution for the extension cited Evans' pivotal leadership in guiding the board and university through significant changes, supporting the chancellor's leadership through the university's growth and adaptation in a rapidly changing educational landscape.

Evans has fully embraced his role as chairman, serving as a key ambassador for Vanderbilt. His deep understanding of the university's key principles-excellence, academic freedom and free expression, institutional neutrality, and growth and development-has enabled him to navigate complex issues effectively.

"Vanderbilt could not ask for a better board chair than Bruce Evans, and I could not ask for a better partner as we dare to grow," Diermeier said. "His engineer's gift for problem-solving, his grasp of the pressures facing higher education, the insight he brings from the business world and, especially, his love for this institution will continue to serve the university well."

Evans, who recently moved to Colorado from Boston, is the managing partner of Evans Capital, a private family office investment fund he founded in 2019. He is also a senior advisor to Summit Partners, a venture capital and growth equity investment firm that manages more than $45 billion in capital. He served as chairman of the Summit Partners Board of Managers for seven years, from 2012 to 2019, co-managing partner from 1999 to 2011 and a member of the firm's board and management leadership group for 20 years.

During his 39-year career as a venture capitalist, Evans has served as a director of 40 companies, including 14 that are public. Evans is also a current member of the board of directors of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, having served previously on that board from 2015 to 2017 and is the chairman of the Greater Nashville Private Capital Association. He graduated from Vanderbilt in 1981 with a bachelor of engineering in mechanical engineering and economics and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.