In her current role, Dana Lee Machles is responsible for advising Vanderbilt’s Office of Investments (which houses Vanderbilt’s endowment) and Vanderbilt’s Finance team. For the endowment, Dana advises on all legal matters related to the public and private investments made and negotiates fund documents and investment management agreements. For Vanderbilt’s finance group, Dana advises on legal questions related to university operations and negotiates finance related agreements. Dana has been instrumental to each of these teams and fosters collaborative relationships to efficiently arrive at thoughtful and commercial outcomes.
Dana received her Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law. She earned her MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern as part of their dual degree JD/MBA program. She was a member of the Phi Delta Phi honor society for law students and the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society for business students.
Prior to joining Vanderbilt University’s Office of the General Counsel, Dana worked in the New York office of Proskauer Rose LLP where she was a private investment funds associate. There she focused her practice on representing private equity fund sponsors. She also practiced at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP where she was a tax associate in their New York office. There she worked on the tax structuring and provisions across a wide variety of alternative investment vehicles and related transactions.
Aside from her legal work, Dana was a director in Huron Consulting Group’s Business Advisory Practice where she provided strategic and financial advice for underperforming companies and their stakeholders. She was a trusted adviser by clients across industries, earning business development accolades on top of her first-class client-facing work. Utilizing her ability to build systems and create long-term relationships, Dana was also a vice president strategy and business development at the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). While at ASCAP, she helped lead million-dollar international data sharing initiatives and other cross-department high-value projects.
Dana is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association. She is admitted to practice law in New York and Tennessee.
Assistant Contact: Anne Mambungu, anne.h.mambungu.1@vanderbilt.edu, 615.936.0325