James W. Cuminale ’78 recently began a two-year term as president of the Vanderbilt Law School Board of Advisors in July2020. Cuminale is a partner at PJT Partners, based in New York.
Cuminale served as chief legal officer at Nielson Holdings and as executive vice president of corporate development, general counsel and secretary of PanAmSat Corp. before joining PJT Partners. He has served on the law school’s Board of Advisors for nine years.
At the law school, Cuminale and his wife have endowed the Cynthia & James Cuminale Scholarship and invested in many other law school initiatives. Cuminale has also hosted numerous alumni events in New York for alumni and prospective students.
In addition to serving on the law school’s board, Cuminale is a member of the board of trust of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he earned his undergraduate degree.
“Jim Cuminale is a staunch supporter of Vanderbilt Law School whose years of service on our board of advisors has had a positive impact on our school,” said Chris Guthrie, Dean and John Wade-Kent Syverud Professor of Law. “I’m glad he is stepping into this leadership role and look forward to working with him.”
Cuminale takes the reins from outgoing board president Sara Finley ’85, who attended Vanderbilt Law as a Patrick Wilson Scholar. Finley retired from serving as general counsel for CVS Caremark and now heads a boutique consulting firm, Threshold Corporate Consulting. At VLS, she established the Sara J. Finley Law and Business Scholarship for students seeking careers in corporate law.
“Sara worked with us to guide the law school through an unusually challenging time due to the pandemic,” Guthrie said. “I’m grateful for her smart and steady leadership and service, as well as her commitment to our school.