Jan Neuharth '82, who served as president of Vanderbilt Law School's Board of Advisors from 2005-07, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award at the Founder's Dinner on April 24, 2009. "Jan was a tough act to follow," said Frank Garrison '79, who served as National Council president from 2007-09. "She worked tirelessly on behalf of the law school and led by example, and I'm extremely pleased that we're honoring her for her invaluable service to the law school."
Neuharth is currently president of Paper Chase Farms, an equestrian center she founded in 1984. In addition to her service on the Law School's Board of Advisors, Neuharth has served as a trustee of the United States Equestrian Team Foundation since 2006; of the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press and free speech, since 2000; and of the Newseum, an interactive museum of news history, since 1997. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Middleburg Bank/Middleburg Financial Corporation.
Neuharth majored in English and political science at the University of Florida and spent a year as a press assistant for Senator Howard H. Baker Jr. (R-TN), before earning her law degree at Vanderbilt. She practiced law at Paul Hastings Hanofsky & Walker in Los Angeles before founding Paper Chase Farms.
Neuharth is also the award-winning author of two novels, The Hunt and The Chase; the third novel in her Hunt Country Suspense Series is due to be released in 2010.