Justin Gung, Assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving & Alumni Engagement, spoke with Dante Mossi about his concentration at Vanderbilt and his collaboration with the Graduate School:
Justin Gung: What was your area of concentration at the Graduate School? What are you doing now, at this point in your career? Did you “end up” with a career in the field you studied at Vanderbilt or did your work-life take an unexpected turn?
Dante Mossi: My concentration was in Economics, and worked in Public Finance. I had the privilege to work with my dear Professor Driskill, who I had the privilege to meet later in life. He asked me to run some econometric models in Excel, that later on proved very useful to open doors for some job interviews. I have ended up as the President of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration CABEI, the highest-rated financial institution in Latin America. With a capital of $7 billion we are the most relevant development Bank in Central America. My Vanderbilt connection always opened doors for me.
Justin Gung: Dean André Christie-Mizell is spearheading many initiatives for the Graduate School, and increased funding for student projects is among them. Can you briefly recall any special projects that you have been part of, or which you have helped fund, or promoted in some way, that made a difference in the world– whether large or small?
Dante Mossi: I have collaborated with the Graduate Program for Economic Development, GPED, as a guide to Paraguay – where I worked as the resident representative for the World Bank- and also in Costa Rica. Also, I lectured a couple of courses. I am now working on a scholarship fund, to send more people to Vanderbilt from Central America.