Alumni Board
Alumni Board
The Ingram Scholars Program Alumni Board was established in 2007 to:
- reinforce connections among all Ingram Scholars, past and present, nurturing professional growth and developing opportunities for mentorship
-
strengthen current Ingram Scholars' service activities, emphasizing engaged citizenship and developing professional goals
-
support the efforts of the Ingram Scholars Program professional team in sustaining the mission, values and integrity of the Program
Your current Alumni Board members are:
Clay Carroll, BA '07
Studio Art
Nashville, TN
Clay Carroll is an architect at HASTINGS, an award-winning architecture firm located in Nashville, TN. Prior to his work at HASTINGS, Clay worked in New York City at both Toshiko Mori Architect and Thomas Phifer and Partners, where he was the lead designer on a number of cultural and institutional projects.
Clay’s passion for shaping the built environment can be traced back to Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, Clay received his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and was awarded the Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Award for his senior thesis exhibition. As Clay’s artwork continued to evolve into larger, more immersive installations, his true passion for architecture emerged and, in 2011, he received his Master of Architecture degree at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
As an Ingram Scholar, Clay served on the board of the Frist Art Museum, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and worked for Public Architecture, a non-profit design firm in San Francisco dedicated to bringing positive community change through public-interest design initiatives. Clay’s work at Public Architecture highlighted the potential of design to change the world through advocacy and community outreach.
With his recent return to Nashville, Clay is glad to be back where the Ingram Scholarship Program originally inspired him to blend his love of art and design with community engagement on a daily basis. Outside of work, he enjoys painting, woodworking, and spending time in nature with his family.
Drew Cornaghie, BS ’13, MEd ’15
Human and Organizational Development & Psychology, Organizational Performance
Washington, D.C.
Born and raised in Memphis, TN, Drew moved to Washington DC after graduation, where he works as a consulting manager for Deloitte’s Government and Public Sector practice. His career in consulting has taken him across a wide variety of federal agencies from the Postal
Service to the Pentagon. Currently, he works as a communications specialist and speechwriter for national cybersecurity leaders.
Drew’s experience with the Ingram Program sparked a passion for the convergence of business interests and social impact. He has been excited to pursue that interest in his career through pro-bono work with an environmental non-profit in Santiago, Chile. Drew is also heavily involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion work, helping to foster an inclusive culture and recruiting pipeline at his firm.
As an Ingram Scholar, Drew focused on environmental justice and refugee support in Nashville. For his Ingram project, he traveled to Fiji and the Marshall Islands to work with environmental organizations that support populations vulnerable to climate change.
Outside of work, Drew enjoys traveling, cycling, and recreational sports. Drew remains extremely grateful for his experience in the Ingram Program, and is excited to join the alumni board after previously serving as his class representative and participating in the mentoring program.
Nicole Delger, BA '06
Communications Studies
Nashville, TN
Nicole Delger runs Studio Delger, a branding and design firm located in Nashville alongside her husband, Tim. Notable clients include SOLO Cup, Dremel, and Musgrave Pencil Company. Her skills and expertise include marketing strategy and planning, web development and branding, social media, and copywriting.
Nicole’s career experience includes time at the award-winning ad agency GSD&M in Austin, Rolling Stone Magazine, the crisis communications agency David House, and as a consultant for small businesses throughout the U.S.
As an Ingram Scholar, Nicole participated in Alternative Spring Break and Vanderbilt’s Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC). As an alumni, she has been helping with the Ingram mentoring program, pairing newly graduated Ingram Scholars with older scholars based on their experience and desired area of mentoring.
Currently living in Nashville, Nicole is a former board member of the East Nashville MOMS Club. She is the mother of two young daughters, and her passion is creating a strong and safe community for her children to play and thrive. Prior to becoming a board member Nicole served on the Ingram Alumni mentoring and reunion committees.
Rachel King Hone, BS ’16
Human and Organizational Development
APO AE, Kuwait
Originally from Ohio, Rachel is a Foreign Service Officer currently assigned at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait. She joined the State Department as a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow, having interned for the Department in the office of Israeli-Palestinian Affairs and at the U.S. Embassy in Moldova. After graduating from Vanderbilt in 2016, Rachel completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Malaysia. She also worked briefly at the Pentagon on NATO policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She holds a master's degree from American University. Her languages include Latin and Arabic, for which she won the 2020 Sinclaire Language Award from the American Foreign Service Association.
Besides foreign policy and traveling (27 countries so far!), her interests include literature and creative writing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rachel launched The Dial project and its affiliate magazine, Symposeum (which has featured a number of Ingram Scholar and Vanderbilt alumni), as a publication "by and for rational optimists." Rachel was also among the inaugural cohort of the Be On Deck Writers Fellows.
Rachel is married to Joshua Hone. Josh works remotely on the executive team at Column, a venture-backed technology startup. She is deeply grateful to the Ingram family and scholarship for setting much of the prior paragraphs into motion.
Alexis Cook Isham, BS
'18
Human and Organizational Development
Gallatin, TN
A Nashville native, Alexis Isham is a Client Executive at InfoWorks, a management and technology consulting firm based in Nashville. Through her role in business development, she gets to do some of her favorite things: meet new people, listen, strategize, and ultimately help local businesses grow.
Prior to her work with InfoWorks, Alexis co-founded Resera (formerly Unlocked), an ethical jewelry brand that employs and empowers women survivors overcoming extraordinary circumstances including homelessness, domestic violence, incarceration, and forced relocation. By pairing meaningful employment with critical resources like housing and counseling, Resera empowers each employee into a home and job of her own. Alexis managed over 25 women survivors and staff members over the course of time leading the organization.
As an Ingram Scholar, Alexis focused on poverty alleviation and sexual violence, volunteering primarily with the Sexual Assualt Center of Nashville, Thistle Farms, and Mercury Courts Transitional Home. Prior to studying at Vanderbilt, Alexis spent a year working in five different non-profit internships in five different countries, learning more about poverty through the perspectives of those experiencing it.
Alexis is married to Jordan, who is currently a Mortar Platoon Leader in the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army. They live in Pleasant View, TN, where they frequently host backyard bonfires with their puppy, Finn.
Caroline Mulligan, BS ’18
Elementary Education, Human and Organizational Development
New York, NY
Caroline Mulligan is currently working in education technology consulting in New York at McKinsey. Immediately after graduation, she moved to London to work in insurance through the Wattles Fellowship. After her yearlong fellowship ended, she taught elementary and high school in Malaysia and Thailand. After returning from Southeast Asia, Caroline began working for McKinsey Academy, a part of the firm that focuses on capability building and adult learning.
Caroline has stayed close to Ingram since graduating. She has served as a small group leader over Zoom during regular Wednesday meetings and coordinated meet ups for the New York Ingram alumni. She is excited to contribute to a program that has given her so many good experiences and close friendships.
Ashley (Zeiger) Peak, BA ’11
Cinema & Media Arts, American Studies, Managerial Studies
Mill Valley, CA
Ashley Peak is working on a new startup in the parenthood space. With a career of building brands at multiple startups, her skills and expertise include brand strategy, creative direction, production management, brand marketing, and social media.
Ashley’s career experience includes work at imogene + willie, Nisolo, Soma, Cora, and Flare.
As an Ingram Scholar, Ashley started FilmVoice, a student organization focused on working with at-risk youth to develop storytelling and production skills. For her summer project she started The Mentone Collective in rural Alabama to foster dialogue between older adults and youth through filmmaking. Ashley received the Keegan Traveling Fellowship and traveled after graduation to 12 different countries exploring the power of narrative and filmmaking as a tool for connection. Ashley has served on the board of Nations Ministry.
Currently living in the Bay Area, Ashley is the mother of two young boys, and enjoys the outdoors through cycling and hiking. She is a RYS yoga instructor and certified birth coach.