Chris Bradshaw '00 named 2025 Distinguished Alumnus

By Juanita I.C. Traughber, Director of Marketing & Communications

The Peabody Demonstration School and University School of Nashville Alumni Association is pleased to present the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award to Chris Bradshaw '00 in recognition of his contributions to closing food deserts as a justice-oriented, social entrepreneur. Bradshaw, founder and executive director of Dreaming Out Loud Inc., is the keynote speaker during Convocation at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 13 in Durnan Auditorium. This event kicks off Senior Week and officially welcomes the 105 soon-to-be graduates of the Class of 2025 into the PDS/USN Alumni Association.

 

The Distinguished Alumni Award was established in 1978 to honor a graduate of PDS/USN who has made outstanding professional or civic achievements on a local, national, or international level. Recipients have included authors, educators, researchers, musicians, and volunteer leaders. In addition to honoring these individuals, the award brings them to the attention of the PDS/USN community and the city at large. Their accomplishments serve as an inspiration to students and graduates and as a reminder to the citizens of Nashville of the high-quality education that has long been a tradition at our school. 

Bradshaw is a justice-oriented, social entrepreneur whose expertise is using social innovation through the food system to grow meaningful community economic development within marginalized communities. Since attending USN and Howard University, he has spent more than half of his life living in Washington, D.C. He said his organization sees the food system as a lens to examine and dismantle systems of oppression, and lead towards Black Liberation. Since its founding, Dreaming Out Loud Inc. has impacted farmers, food-makers, and community members through cooperative social enterprise and advocacy. Under his leadership, Dreaming Out Loud has grown to include 15 full-time team members, and four seasonal farm and food hub assistants. He is a frequent speaker on the intersections of racial justice, class, gender, and food sovereignty — his appearances include the Atlantic Ideas Festival, Bloomberg American Health Summit, and both regional and national gatherings for farmers and food activists. Bradshaw is also the recipient of Georgetown University’s John Thompson Legacy of a Dream Award for 2021, one of Eating Well Magazine’s 2021 American Food Heroes, and was selected to the Root 100 list of most influential Black Americans. Read more about his work here. In 2021, he spoke to USN High School students during Community Action Day.

Nominations for future recognition are encouraged and should be emailed to PDS/USN Alumni Director Christina Evans.