Meet new staff, administrators

Assembled by Juanita I.C. Traughber, Director of Marketing & Communications

Human Resources Director Shell Phelps holds a B.A. in Business Administration and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and is a Certified Professional from the Society of Human Resources Management. She comes to Nashville with over 23 years of HR experience. Recognized for her HR thought leadership and commitment to positive organizational DEI cultures, Ms. Phelps began her career at a homeless shelter in Michigan. She bridges gaps between employees and leadership through one-degree positive shift strategies, detailed in her award-winning book, "The Big Bliss Blueprint." Published in multiple HR articles, including HR.com, she is also a dedicated mentor, having served as a co-chaired on the Mentoring Committee on the board at a local chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. Ms. Phelps enjoys traveling to new places, swimming, laughing, and eating lots of ice cream.

High School Swimming Brent Crosby has joined USN in the full-time role of Aquatics Coordinator. He earned a B.S. in Biology at Milligan University and spent seven years as a project manager in the pharmaceutical industry, working on several worldwide clinical trials. He also coached swimming at Nashville Aquatic Club for the past two years and was a former collegiate swimmer at Milligan University. He is from Kansas City, Missouri, “which obviously means I’m a huge Chiefs fan,” he said. He loves to rock climb and has climbed over 1,300 feet in El Potrero, Mexico and 1,800 feet in the cascades in Washington state.

Bus Driver and Operations Staff Ashtun M. Rayburn earned an Associate's degree from Jefferson State. He is a Dickson native who likes to watch the Georgia Bulldogs play football, the Atlanta Braves play baseball, and Bubba Watson play golf. He also enjoys spending time with his girlfriend Sarah and playing golf. (You have found this week's golden nugget; email "Go Dawgs" to Director of Marketing & Communications Juanita Traughber between Friday, August 9 and Monday, August 12 for a chance to win a gift card to the USN Spirit Store.)

Admissions Coordinator Arden Snead is originally from Raleigh, North Carolina and holds a B.A. in Songwriting with a minor in Music Business from Belmont University. During her time at Belmont, she worked in the admissions office, Bruin Recruiters, as a member relations coordinator and served as the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion Chair. In addition to her time in the admissions office, she was also a Residence Assistant and live musician. In her free time, she likes to write, go on hikes, and collect vinyl records. An interesting fact about Arden is that she has been to the top of every climbable lighthouse in North Carolina. 

Announced in the spring, Alex Heiberger is the Chief Financial Officer. He holds a Master of Health Services Administration from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Rhetoric from State University of New York at Albany. He has served as Chief Financial & Operations Officer of The Madeira School since 2014, is a former board member of the National Business Officers Association, Hoya Federal Credit Union and a member of the Finance Committee for the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington. He also has spoken at national conferences on topics relating to the independent school business model, net tuition revenue, and strategic admissions development. He previously served as Associate Dean of Administration at the School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University. He spent his early career in health care management roles including at a community hospital and large academic medical center settings. Although he comes to Nashville from the Washington, D.C. area, Mr. Heiberger said he identifies as a New Yorker, where he was born and raised. He is an avid hockey fan and also shoots skeet and sporting clays in his free time.

Also joining the USN community are Bus Drivers Alanda Thompson and Kenya Jones, River Campus Grounds Assistant Cody Gooch, and Utility Staff Brody Sherrod.