In her book American Shrines: The Architecture of Presidential Commemoration, Fanning, historian of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, underlines some of the earliest monuments created, such as the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, as well as the historical changes in monumental design, honoring new leaders. Fanning explained that presidential memorials present a variety of themes, from power to liberty and equality. She presents these changes of American values through a chronology of presidential architecture with more than 500 images of monuments. One memorial she focuses on is the recently renovated Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial. “The Eisenhower Memorial, finished in 2020, featured a huge metal tapestry depicting his rural Kansas birthplace,” shared Fanning. “Now it is an abstract image of present-day Normandy Beach.” Fanning also details the changes within types of monuments including libraries and landscapes, showing how commemoration can be displayed in numerous ways.

The education Fanning received at ����Vlog��ý fostered her interests in architectural research and aided in developing processes she used to write her book. As a student, Fanning enjoyed analyzing the architecture of the older buildings on campus, including McGaw Chapel and Kauke Hall. “I remember looking at the roof of McGaw Chapel and seeing the triangular pieces that shot into the sky,” shared Fanning. “Their abstract forms are similar to modern memorials, and I was interested in how such forms convey meaning.

A class Fanning took with Arnold Lewis, then professor of art, provided the skills necessary to begin her career as an architectural historian. “He taught a seminar about modern architecture, and it really opened my eyes to what defines a place and how structures are built,” Fanning said. The class, along with her I.S. focused on landscape painting and the American Luminist painters of the 19th century, encouraged her to study architectural history in graduate school. “I realized that I had a limited view of how to conduct art history research before completing my I.S.,” Fanning explained.

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Embracing campus life, Bloom served as head student athletic trainer, joined Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity, and participated in Biology Club. The healthy mix of academics, athletics, and community shaped both his social experience and his approach to leadership. “It was a beautiful thing that you could be in a Greek organization and still be a college scholar,” he said. “You weren’t pigeonholed.”

When the time came for his senior Independent Study, Bloom sought a research topic reflective of the local area. He secured a summer internship in the entomology lab at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) where he monitored migration patterns of strawberry sap beetles in Wayne County. They cause big issues in crops that can create financial strain for commercial growers. Bloom leveraged some of OARDC’s existing research and spent his summer doing additional fieldwork to complete his I.S.

Bloom found another summer internship following graduation to continue gaining experience. This time, at a nature center north of Dayton, he cared for native animals and taught kids about trees, turtles, and lakes. “I didn’t know it at the time, but I found my calling through that work,” said Bloom. He stayed on to develop educational programming at the center for three years before pursuing a
master’s degree and teaching licensure in grades 7-12 biology. “I felt super prepared to teach because of my strong background in the sciences, and I used my ����Vlog��ý biology training directly in my classroom,” he added.

Haley Bloom ’23, Bloom’s daughter, recently gave him the opportunity to relive his ����Vlog��ý experience.

After seven years leading honors-level biology courses, Bloom’s new career trajectory led to administrative work in student services and a high school principal role. “It all started with my degree from ����Vlog��ý,” Bloom said. “As I progressed to graduate degrees with a master’s thesis and as a principal working to obtain different licenses, all of my research felt very comfortable because of I.S. Even though that was in a different field, it was invaluable preparation.”

Today, as director of secondary curriculum and instruction at Piqua City Schools, Bloom oversees district-wide instructional strategy. Through material review, professional development, testing, data analysis, and much more, Bloom focuses on enhancing student learning. While he wears many hats, he says working with teachers and students all the time is the best of both worlds.

“As an educator and administrator, you need to see lots of different perspectives,” explained Bloom, adding that ����Vlog��ý expanded his ability to consider how other people think. “Everyone who comes through our district’s doors deserves public education and the best ability we can give,” he said. Undergrad and classroom experience helps Bloom stay ready to collaborate across all subjects and grade levels to ensure staff has what they need andstudents are prepared for where they go next.

Two key ����Vlog��ý figures helped prepare Bloom’s path. James Perley, a biology professor and Bloom’s advisor who also taught his First-Year Seminar, was a role model who made Bloom think, “I want to do what he’s doing.” Football Coach Bob Tucker invested in Bloom as more than just an athlete. “He instilled in us that the student in ‘student-athlete’ came first,” said Bloom. “I’ve never forgotten that,and I carry it with me all these years later.”

Bloom experienced ����Vlog��ý all over again through his daughter Haley, a 2023 alumna who studied computer science and now works as an analyst. Watching her navigate Greek life, campus housing, I.S., and a varsity sport reminded him how much had changed and how much had stayed the same. “It was surreal and a lot of fun for me to relive ����Vlog��ý through her eyes,” Bloom recalled.

Bloom’s journey shows that learning can lead in unexpected directions and reflects the enduring power of a ����Vlog��ý education. “����Vlog��ý is a microcosm of the world,” he said, encouraging students to be diverse in what they experience. “Join a club, play a sport, or learn a new art form. So many things are at your fingertips, and it gets harder to do that as an adult.”

Featured image: Scott Bloom ’94, photo provided by subject.

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The lifelong sports lover grew up in Findlay, Ohio, where Coach Bob Morgan recruited him to play shortstop for the Fighting Scots baseball team. While ����Vlog��ý’s big-campus feel and small-college environment drew him in, like many first-year students, he wasn’t sure what he��wanted to study. Looking back, he’s grateful athletics opened��the door to a rich liberal arts education.

“I’ve always found people and their circumstances very interesting,” said Colvin, who ultimately majored in sociology. “I remember being educationally curious and getting to dabble in different areas until I found my foothold. I know now how valuable that was, and that it’s pretty rare.”

As a team captain, Colvin led by example just as he saw Morgan do every day. “Coach Morgan was the single biggest influence in my life,” said Colvin. Morgan modeled responsibility, work ethic, and accountability. In the classroom, Colvin’s worldview expanded. Professor Acy Jackson introduced him to perspectives far different from his own, and his I.S. Advisor David Guldin ’65 guided his study of racial discrimination in professional football. Both mentors taught him not to assume his experiences mirror everyone else’s.

Colvin advises clients on pairing a brand with professional golf ambassadors, such as Corey Pavin, Annika Sörenstam, and Suzann Pettersen, pictured here with him (second from right). Photo: Robert Spears Photography

All of the guidance proved key following graduation when Colvin spent seven years in the U.S. Navy. He boarded his first ship as a newly minted naval ensign and was unexpectedly thrown into the role of chief engineer. “Like in college, I knew to embrace opportunities, and

I solved problems with compassion and understanding for the people I was leading,” said Colvin. “The eye-opening experience helped me feel like I could do something I wasn’t technically qualified for.”

While at sea, Colvin discovered a game-changing book in the ship’s library. He read Mark H. McCormack’s What They DON’T Teach You at Harvard Business School, returned to shore, and networked his way into the author’s Cleveland-based company, IMG. Colvin called it the epicenter of global sports business with top athletes, top events, and smart, aggressive colleagues. He built nine years of experience that would serve as the foundation for his next chapter, a start-up venture with a friend, followed years later by the launch of his own firm, Colvin Sports Network.

As CEO of Colvin Sports Network, Colvin partners with major golf organizations like the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, USGA, PGA of America, and Augusta National, among others, to design and implement tournaments and support official marketing partners. The firm also advises clients on how to leverage sports marketing investments, such as pairing a brand with a professional golf ambassador. “We raise a great deal of money using the charitable component of professional golf as well,” he shared. “I’m blessed to be able to combine what I love with something that helps others.”

The fast-paced nature of the work and the opportunity to interact with people across unique industries like artificial intelligence (AI), manufacturing, health insurance, and transportation, all in the same week gives Colvin a lot to engage with. Although sports marketing isn’t precisely sociology, he credits ����Vlog��ý with sharpening every skill he relies on today, from critical thinking to relationship building. His advice for today’s ����Vlog��ý students: embrace the limitless nature of a liberal arts education. “Throw caution to the wind,” he said. “Pursue what excites you. The only limitation is what you don’t reach for.”

Featured image: Bill Colvin ’79, photo provided by subject.

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Even before setting foot on campus, Wu knew she wanted to study studio art. As an avid painter, it seemed natural to continue that passion in college. Working with Marina Mangubi, Eugene and Charlene Derge Sussel Professor of Studio Art, she developed foundational art and research skills. Outside of the studio, Wu found an unexpected interest in philosophy. “I enjoyed reading philosophy books, enjoyed the class, and enjoyed arguing,” Wu said, attributing her newfound passion to her advisor Evan Riley, associate professor of philosophy.��

In both academic disciplines, she emphasized how her professors pushed her to keep asking questions, expanding ideas, and challenging her��imagination.��“There is something so important about teaching, about education happening in a small group of people,” Wu said. “There is something intimate about the transmission of knowledge that happens between your professors, your colleagues, and yourself.”��

Blending her work in��studio art��and��philosophy,���³�’s Independent Study��was inspired by the women��in her upbringing, whose dedication to their children and families became a central focus in her��reflection��on feminism, independence, and��motherhood.��“The tension between autonomy and the traditional demands and sacrifices of motherhood troubled me — as a��philosophical question and a real-life dilemma,” she said.��Drawing on feminist philosophies, Wu explored this tension through both a solo exhibition and a thesis paper titled “Women, Autonomy, Authenticity, and �Ѵdzٳ�����Ǵǻ�.”��

In addition to��her thesis, she��created��a series of oil paintings, each depicting a woman in her life. Her work was displayed in a solo exhibition at Ebert Art Center. Wu saw her I.S. not as a graduation requirement or formal academic paper, but as a personal experience and deeper exploration of her friends and family.��“I think people should��try to��enjoy the process of I.S., rather than��just��the end, because the process��was��actually the most important thing that helped me��grow,” she said.��

After graduating from ����Vlog��ý in 2022, Wu left the Midwest and headed to Brooklyn, New York, to complete an Master of Fine Arts in painting and drawing at Pratt Institute. “����Vlog��ý definitely prepared me with a good academic background for attending a very competitive, self-driven Master of Fine Arts program in New York,” Wu said.��

Drawing on memories of her upbringing along the��Yangtze River��in��Jiangyin, China, �³�’s work explores the relationship between past and present, and how that complex dynamic��shapes��identity and space. Her oil paintings depict peaceful, yet melancholy scenes centered on themes of loss, memory, and time.��

Wu��decided to stay��in New York, where she��works��as a freelance artist.��After��being��featured��in publications��including��New York��Weekly,��Create! Magazine, and��Artsy, in May 2025,��the global art market platform����identified��Wu as one of five��noteworthy��emerging��artists to watch.��

In addition to being featured in��numerous��articles, her��paintings have��been shown in galleries across the United States and China.��Each gallery space offers a unique experience for communication and collaboration. “The way you place your work and the way you try to talk about your work, is going to shape people’s experience with your work,”��Wu��said.��

Wu’s��most recent��solo��exhibition,��,��opened in��May��2025��at Make Room Los Angeles, a contemporary art gallery in the center of LA.��“It’s a series of works reflecting on my childhood and my life, and the sense of loss in little moments we all experience,” she said.��

As Wu continues to make a name for herself in the global art scene,��she��reflected on turning��her��passion��for creating art��into a��fulfilling��career:��“I just really love art.��I’m��so lucky that I can make money from it as well.��It’s��become the main part of my life to make the work I want to make, have the shows and an audience,��and also��have the community in New York.”��

Featured image: Xiangjie Rebecca Wu ’22, photo provided by subject.

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A neuroscience��major��and French and��Francophone studies��minor at ����Vlog��ý,��Greenland��noticed the College when��looking for small institutions with a recognized neuroscience path.��“I knew I wanted to go into neuroscience right away,” said Greenland. “����Vlog��ý was one of the only small colleges that offered the program.”��Her immediate connection to the faculty��and students��she met during visits��to campus��helped solidify her choice. “I found myself interested in what students were pursuing with their studies, and I wanted to be part of that.”

As a STEM major and humanities minor,��Greenland’s college curriculum��consisted of classes with��a multi-disciplinary view of the world. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person classes and limited lab time, Greenland had to learn how to complete��research and lab work��in��a very different��environment than she was used to. Completing her senior��I.S., titled “,”��in this controlled environment may have been stressful, but Greenland appreciated the time she did have to work on her project. “Living on campus during this time, I went into��lab��to do my research despite labs for classes not being in-person,” said Greenland. “It gave me somewhere else to go on campus, gave me another��reason to be there.”

Greenland’s I.S.��was a��way for Greenland to get back to her researching interests during this time of stress.��Focused on��observing��different colors��and genes��of betta��fish, Greenland wanted to find out if��the color of betta fish��impacted��their recognition of other fish of the same color, emphasizing the cross-section between vision and pigmentation.��While Greenland found no conclusive evidence of this,��her work with I.S. prepared her for her��current work as a Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University School of Medicine, where she has been working towards a��degree��in��medical��neuroscience since 2022.��“There’s a culture of curiosity in all different areas of my work, and ����Vlog��ý made me want to continue��researching��even��after��getting my��bachelor’s��degree,” said Greenland. “����Vlog��ý really helped me think this was possible and enjoy the journey of completing my own research.”

Meeting Indiana University representatives while at a graduate research event at ����Vlog��ý, Greenland praises the College for its ability to connect students to post-grad opportunities. “Sometimes you do little things and don’t know the result until the future,” said Greenland. “I got really lucky.” With her current work, Greenland is able to build off the preliminary research skills she learned from the College. “I find my work rewarding, and I’m enjoying the research process even through daily struggles and failures. I’m nowhere close to being done, but I go in everyday, do my work, and try again the next day,” Greenland shared. “����Vlog��ý gave me the opportunity to learn about research, not just through I.S., but my classes.”

Featured image: Hannah Greenland ’21, photo provided by subject.

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Cheng planned to stay in China after high school, but with his family’s encouragement, he ventured to the U.S. for a completely different educational environment. “We thought a liberal arts college could be a good fit with more of a community experience that focuses on building a person instead of just technical training,” said Cheng.

At ����Vlog��ý, Cheng enjoyed exploring different disciplines and ultimately declared a major in computer science. He put practical skills to work as an Applied Methods and Research Experience (AMRE) consultant for the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). As part of a three-student team, Cheng helped build a graphical user interface to connect R programming language with the center’s Galaxy application to simplify data analysis and expand accessibility.

Cheng also completed an internship with local software start up, Cureo, and demonstrated his programming skills with an Independent Study where he built a software prototype for ����Vlog��ý High School to manage student academic and behavioral data. The project gave the school a proof of concept to seek additional funding, and it gave Cheng confirmation that he wanted to pursue similar career work.

“Many classmates wanted to go and get a Ph.D. and do academic research, but I wanted to build software and solve problems,” said Cheng. “My I.S. mentor, Dr. Simon Gray helped me along that route. AMRE and the internship also helped me build professional skills in the industry.”

A few years later, during a stressful season in graduate school, Cheng needed a distraction. As an avid South Park fan, he bought a ticket to a touring production of The Book of Mormon, without expecting to enjoy it. Though he earned a minor in music at ����Vlog��ý, he said he hated movie-musicals for bursting into song. He saw them as overly dramatic and artificial in nature. “The show ended up changing my life,” said Cheng. “I didn’t know how visceral the live musical experience could be.” The abstract stage design and storytelling made sense in this format. “It’s like something tribal or primal where people gather around to listen to a story and be entertained.”

After moving to California for a position at Amazon, Cheng saw every theatre production he could in San Jose and San Francisco. Still, a tech-focused Bay Area felt barren for culture. He transferred his role to NYC in 2021 to be as close as possible to America’s theatre hub, where he spammed the ticket lotteries to see shows on the regular. Cheng connected with Chinese peers and like-minded groups of theatre friends like his producing partner, Jiani Bai. They shared an interest in getting into the industry. His problem-solving skills and her finance background made them both a great fit for the business side of theatre. Strategic networking led the pair to a conversation with two-time Tony Award-winning producer, Brian Spector. He was a co-producer on Suffs, which was working to transfer from an off-Broadway run.

Harry Cheng ’15 (right) poses with his mentor, Brian Spector (left) and producing partner, Jiani Bai in front of the marquee of their Tony-nominated production, The Hills of California.

They eagerly invested in the show and learned the business of Broadway through Spector’s mentorship. “You can go to school for stage management, acting, or writing, but that’s not the case for producing or fundraising for shows,” explained Cheng. When Spector became the lead producer of the 2024 Broadway transfer of The Hills of California (a play from London’s West End), he invited Cheng and Bai to co-produce. The show ran on Broadway from September to December that year, and earned seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Play, in 2025.

“I never imagined I would be at the Tony Awards with a credit or have a reason to go at all,” said Cheng. “It was kind of like a commencement because I got to see my colleagues and theatre friends and celebrate our hard work of the past year.” Though they didn’t win Best Play, Cheng was thrilled to be in the wings to witness an actor he looks up to, Francis Jue, win Best Featured Actor in a Play for Yellow Face.

Today Cheng works as a software engineer for Bloomberg and enjoys producing as his side career. He and Bai co-produced Redwood starring Idina Menzel in spring 2025 and continue to collaborate with Spector on Wild About You (still in development). They’re also co-producers for the Suffs North American tour, which marches into Cleveland’s Playhouse Square in February 2026.

Cheng says many other producers have other full-time jobs like he does. “It’s a surprisingly small community. The business model isn’t hard, but it requires a lot of people skills and networking,” he said. He’s grateful to have initially built these skills at ����Vlog��ý and for an “eye-opening” liberal arts curriculum that let him explore outside his major. “It prevents tunnel vision in one direction, so you won’t lose sight of what the whole world has to offer.”

Featured image: Harry Cheng ’15 attended the 78th annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 8, 2025.

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Means majored in English at ����Vlog��ý and wrote a collection of poems for his senior Independent Study, advised by Michael Allen, then assistant professor of English. “He went over each line of a poem and put me under great pressure to make it yield meaning,” Means recalled. “It’s similar to what I put my students through now at Vassar.”

Means, who grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, chose to attend ����Vlog��ý mostly because of Jim Bean, a professor of French, cross-country coach, and mentor to generations. “He was a very warm, supportive person and made everyone feel like part of the family,” Means said, “but he was also a good coach. I ran up and down that hill by the golf course a million times.”

Means also met his wife, Geneve Patterson-Means, at ����Vlog��ý, although she transferred before graduation. “Life wouldn’t be anything like it is now if it wasn’t for ����Vlog��ý,” he said.

Following graduation, he enrolled at Columbia and got an MFA in creative writing, still concentrating on poetry, but he was also interested in narrative stories. When he went to work reading manuscripts at a publishing house in New York, he thought he could do as well or better than the authors in the slush pile.��His first collection of stories was published in 1991, and his most recent collection, Two Nurses, Smoking, was published in 2022.

Means has also written one novel, Hystopia, published in 2016. He still prefers the short story genre, but he found that a novel offered “room to make mistakes and clean things up.” And the reaction to its publication was a not entirely welcome surprise. “People read novels a lot more than short stories,” he said wryly. “It was a humbling experience.”

Many noted novelists began their careers as poets, and Means said: “Writing poetry teaches you to look closely, to be persnickety about language, and to use the music of language.” But one form often bleeds into another, and he said his prose is often intensely poetic.

Thinking back to his Independent Study experience at ����Vlog��ý, Means said, “I thought I was an accomplished poet by the time I was a senior. It’s valuable to do something complete that you started from scratch.”

The PEN/Malamud Award, sponsored by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation since 1988, recognizes a career body of work rather than one book, and Means didn’t know he had been nominated until he got the call while he was on vacation. “When you look at the list of past winners, it’s an astonishing feeling to join them,” he said, “but you also feel a kinship with writers of the past.” And, he hastens to add, “I’m not done. I have a lot of stories to keep writing.”

Photo: David Means ’84, Photo by Beowulf Sheehan, provided by the subject.

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Keefer’s photography supports funding for Parkinson’s disease research, a condition that affects the central nervous system and impacts balance, movement, and speech. When he sells a photo, the revenue goes to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on finding a cure to Parkinson’s. He’s raised nearly $500,000. “I’ve had Parkinson’s for 18 years now, so this is a labor of love. I do believe there’s a cure, maybe not too far off,” said Keefer, who sits on the board of the foundation.

As well as selling his photography, Keefer supports newly diagnosed patients by sharing his experience with the disease. “I try to tell them about my personal experiences, to the extent those match up with theirs, so they can watch for those milestones along the way,” shared Keefer. “Having the ability to talk to and get advice from places like the Fox Foundation gives me resources few often have. To the extent that I can share some of that with people is a blessing.”

Keefer’s focus on photography is not a new hobby, although not front-of-mind at ����Vlog��ý. On campus, Keefer participated in swimming and spent a semester abroad with a greater emphasis on his coursework. Looking back, he urges students to keep an open mind about their futures, claiming that seeking out opportunities is more important than having a narrow path. “You can’t predict what you’re going to do or exactly how you’re going to do it, but what you want is the opportunities to come along,” said Keefer. “I couldn’t create the gallery and do what I’ve done without my business career, but that’s turned out to be a supporting role in my life, not my purpose.”

Featured image: Jeff Keefer ’74 and President McCall pose for photos at the Distinguished Alumni Award ceremony during Alumni Weekend.

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As a physical education major at the College, Minton immersed himself in athletics opportunities. He played basketball and coached a sorority flag football team before entering the United States Air Force upon graduation. Serving in the Air Force from 1969-1983, Minton became an assistant basketball coach with Hank Egan for the Air Force Academy’s men’s basketball team, the Falcons. In 1983, Minton started his first head coaching job for Dartmouth College’s men’s basketball team before going back to the Air Force in 1985 as the head coach for the Falcons. “����Vlog��ý being on my resume immediately got people’s attention, particularly at an academic school like Dartmouth,” shared Minton. “����Vlog��ý opened horizons that I hadn’t seen before.”

In 2000, Minton joined the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on a tenure track, working alongside other basketball coaches with the goal of making the sport more inclusive, ethical, and community-based. He served as the deputy executive director starting in 2004 until his retirement in 2020. While working with the NABC, Minton developed a relationship with Coaches vs. Cancer, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the NABC that aimed to raise funds for cancer research. “We’ve raised more than $200 million for this cause,” said Minton. “I got some awards from the cause that I don’t think I’m all that deserving of. I just did the right thing.”

Looking back on his time at ����Vlog��ý, Minton emphasizes how impactful the College was to his future career. “����Vlog��ý helped me learn how to communicate with everyone and come to grips with some things that I hadn’t ever dealt with growing up,” he said. “I enjoy telling people I went to ����Vlog��ý. I feel blessed.”

Featured image: Reggie Minton ’63 and President McCall pose for photos with the Distinguished Alumni Award at the ceremony during Alumni Weekend.

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Growing up in the Cleveland area, Allman fell in love with ����Vlog��ý after visiting the campus in high school. He hoped to be the starting pitcher for the Fighting Scots baseball team, but his playing career was cut short following injuries his sophomore year (“Plus the other players were better than me,” he laughed). He remained involved in the baseball program throughout his time at ����Vlog��ý, serving as assistant coach for the junior varsity team as a sophomore and junior and for the varsity team as a senior. He also was active with intramural sports and his fraternity.��

“I loved my time at ����Vlog��ý,” Allman said. “I made lifelong friends I’m still in contact with today. We were from all different backgrounds, and looking back, I see that contributed to my later success in business. I learned how to interact with people and, most importantly, how everyone has positive elements that they bring to every relationship.”��

Allman, a history major, originally intended to become an attorney but quickly discovered law school wasn’t for him. He began a career in media sales at a radio station in Cleveland. He transitioned into out-of-home advertising when he joined Foster & Kleiser, now known as Lamar Outdoor Advertising. He later spent 15 years with Transportation Displays Inc., the largest bus and rail advertising sales company in the world, where he worked his way up to CEO of U.S. operations.��

“We generated, over the years, literally hundreds of millions of dollars of non-farebox revenue for transit systems worldwide,” Allman said. “In other words, we were, in the majority of cases, the largest source of revenue for the transit systems we worked with after the farebox. We were always very proud of that.”��

In 2002, ready for a new challenge, Allman launched a business venture with the company’s former chairman. “We started a new outdoor advertising company called Titan, which, at the time, was anything but a titan. We had 11 employees,” Allman said. “We competed for and won back many of the contracts we had at TDI because we had developed strong relationships with the transit systems. They trusted us, and we had always overperformed. We ultimately grew the company to about 800 employees worldwide.” Treating those employees well was integral to the company’s success. It’s also a key component of leadership, according to Allman.��

“If you want people to trust you as a leader and want to follow you, you have to look out for them and be available when they need you,” he said. “I tried to be accessible. If anyone in the company needed to get in touch with me, they could call me anytime or walk into my office. At ����Vlog��ý, people were so open to interacting and communicating, and I tried to bring that same openness to the companies where I worked.”��

When hiring new employees, Allman also thought of his time at ����Vlog��ý, and specifically his experience on the baseball team. “When interviewing people for a job, I always asked if they had a background in sports,” he said. “Teamwork is critically important to the success of a company. We rise or fall together.”��

Allman initially retired in 2020 after selling Titan and working as a consultant for a few years. As of 2025, he most recently served as partner/co-CEO of VIAVERDE USA, an international company that combines out-of-home advertising with sustainable, green infrastructure.��

Making several generous gifts to his alma mater over the years, Allman, notes that the administration at ����Vlog��ý is a perfect example of how leadership starts at the top. “I have so much respect for President McCall, the president’s cabinet, and all the faculty and staff at the College. They’re doing so many things right at ����Vlog��ý, and that’s why it’s one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country,” he said. “I will continue to support the school in any way I can.”��

Featured image: Don Allman ’74, photo provided by subject.

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