Candice Story Lee has led Vanderbilt to an athletic renaissance during her nearly five-year tenure at the helm of her alma mater.
Lee was key in the completion of the Huber Center, a basketball operations center and practice facility; renovations to the team facilities at the Vanderbilt Legends Club, home to the school’s men’s and women’s golf teams; and the FirstBank Stadium north and south end zone projects. With the South End Zone premium seating completed, Vanderbilt sold out six home football games in 2025.
Other facilities efforts included the beginning of construction on Hawkins Field enhancements, while men’s and women’s tennis began competing in the reimagined outdoor facilities at the Lummis Family Tennis Center.
Lee also led major fundraising gifts, such as the recent endowment of the baseball head coaching position. Other initiatives included launching the Anchored for Her campaign, part of the broader Vandy United efforts, that has an initial goal of $50 million to make the university a premier destination for women’s sports.
On the field, the Commodores enjoyed another massively successful year. Football earned its first 10-win season in its 135-year history and entered the top 10 for the first time since 1937. Vanderbilt men’s basketball coach Mark Byington became the first coach in program history to win 20 games in each of his first two campaigns, while the baseball program earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Return to the Sports Business Awards main page
