Vanderbilt University Dean and Valere Potter Distinguished Professor of Nursing Pamela Jeffries, PhD, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH, was named to the 2026 Leadership Nashville cohort. The rigorous, nine-month independent executive program aims to broaden and diversify the leaders making decisions about Nashville’s future, and to build channels of communication between established leaders, connect those leaders with community issues and equip participants with insights, not solutions.
“I am eager to participate in Leadership Nashville, both to learn more about our community and to collaborate with other leaders. Knowing Nashville and its needs better will help me to make decisions in my role at Vanderbilt, as well as position the School of Nursing to be of service in our community,” Jeffries said. “This program and these conversations are vital to making informed decisions about Nashville and moving our great city forward.”
The program includes monthly meetings and leadership retreats. Participants get an insider’s perspective on the sights and sounds of Nashville, with activities that might include a personal meeting with the governor to a behind-the-scenes look at the Nashville Opera. These on-site visits focus on key areas including government, education, transportation, criminal justice, healthcare delivery, social services, religion, race relations, community planning, media and arts.
Those selected to the program represent a diversity of races, religions, ages and political persuasions, as well as a geographical cross section of neighborhoods. Each Leadership Nashville class includes both native Nashvillians and others who have moved to the area in leadership positions. Participants include educators, doctors, bankers, artists, businesspeople, rabbis, ministers, lawyers and representatives of labor, public service, international communities and the volunteer sector.
Jeffries was named the ninth dean of the School of Nursing in 2021. An internationally recognized leader and researcher in nursing and health care education, she has a reputation for innovation in teaching strategies, experiential learning, new pedagogies and the use of technology. Prior to being named VUSN dean, she served as the second dean of the George Washington University School of Nursing. She also held a series of progressively responsible leadership roles at The Johns Hopkins University.