Doug Van Sant serves as a principal data analyst for FINRA, where he manages the organization’s entire content and marketing analytics program across all departments. Building this program from the ground up, he leverages data insights to guide cross-departmental strategy before content decisions are made. Alongside his corporate role, Doug remains an owner and partner in the photo and video agency Alive Co., where he continues to photograph select high-profile side projects.
Doug began his career in broadcast journalism with small-market ABC and CBS affiliates in Maryland before transitioning into sports media. He managed sports producing for TotalSports in North Carolina, the Greensboro News & Record, the Winston-Salem Journal, and Tampa Bay Online, where he also authored and managed the Tampa Tribune’s No. 1 blog, before becoming sports producer for the Oakland Tribune. Moving to Washington, D.C., he entered the professional association space as a web producer and SEO analyst at AARP, an influential role that solidified his reputation as a versatile digital strategy and search expert.
In 2015, Doug transitioned full-time to his photo and video agency, Alive Co., traveling the globe to cover major music festivals in Japan, Hong Kong, and beyond, earning recognition as one of the top dance music photographers in the industry. Among his proudest professional achievements is securing Alive Co.’s partnership with the NFL, leading him to photograph five consecutive Super Bowls and NFL Drafts. In 2021, seeking a change of pace, he returned to digital strategy as the senior digital strategy manager at the Society for Neuroscience before taking on his current position at FINRA. Earlier in his career, he was named one of the 40 Under 40 in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina.
Doug graduated from Shenandoah in 1997 with Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications after initially entering as a music major drawn to the conservatory and the welcoming campus environment. While at SU, he took one of the university’s first web production and HTML courses, a pivotal step that laid the foundation for his future career in digital media. Beyond his coursework, Doug helped establish and run the school’s first social fraternity during his era, creating lasting memories with his brothers and classmates at their fraternity house in downtown Winchester. He credits SU’s tight-knit community with helping him build a distinct personal identity and the confidence needed to pursue ambitious career opportunities.
Reconnecting with his alma mater out of a desire to inspire and mentor the next generation of leaders, Doug looks forward to advancing key Alumni Board initiatives. He is excited to engage with fellow graduates, welcome new alumni at university events, and share how SU prepares students with practical tools for long-term real-world success.
Doug resides in Stafford, Virginia, with his wife, Jo Anne Poblete Van Sant, a UX Lead at FINRA, and their two daughters, Brooklyn (9) and Charlotte (6). The family stays actively involved in their local community, with Brooklyn playing travel soccer under former SU soccer player Jocelyn Granados ’22 and Charlotte pursuing gymnastics and cheerleading. Outside of work, Doug enjoys spending quality time with his extended family throughout the Northern Virginia area.