Capt. Aerin Washington, a commissioned law enforcement officer with extensive experience in higher education, will return to University School of Nashville as an administrator overseeing the K-12 school’s comprehensive physical security plan.
By Juanita I.C. Traughber, Director of Marketing & Communications
Director Amani Reed has named Aerin Washington to serve as USN’s Director of Safety and Security. In this role, she will develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive physical security plan and school safety program specific to USN and its needs as an urban campus. She also will coordinate safety-related inservice training for faculty and staff, organize age-specific safety education programs for students, and ensure USN’s compliance with local and state regulations regarding school safety.
A top priority Washington’s first weeks in her office, the first floor former COVID Room, will be updating the school’s standard operating procedures for crisis prevention and response as well as overseeing visitor management for daily school operations and special events.
Washington will join USN in September from Michigan State University’s Department of Police and Public Safety where she serves as the Inspector of Professional Accountability and the Clery Liaison. There she managed the university’s accreditation process through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. She previously served the University of Utah as the Director of Campus Security and
Compliance where she oversaw a non-sworn campus security program and contractors. She also worked as the Crime Prevention Officer, Accreditation Manager, and Clery Compliance Officer at Tennessee State University. Her background includes a variety of public safety roles, including hospital security, corrections, crime prevention, and community outreach programs. Washington, who comes from a family of law enforcement administrators, holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Grambling State University and a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
She is a former USN parent and enjoys attending festivals and events, including the Cherry Blossom Festival, Musicians Corner, and Movies in the Park, with her two children.
Former Tiger athletes Mahoney Daunic ’24 and Cameron Wooten ’23 explained the athletic recruiting process with student-athletes during a recent virtual lunch and learn in Payne Library Room.
During a fun, cross-division lesson, students from HS History Teacher Ayesha Nawaz’s class came together to tell the story of Native American displacement to Social Studies Teacher Connie Fink’s fifth graders.
Chris Carrabba, legendary artist and father to USN students Caden ‘27 and Alexa ‘29, will perform an acoustic set on Saturday, March 29 for Music Night, our annual adult-only concert in Durnan Auditorium. Tickets are available now for this fundraiser, which supports the arts and athletics at USN.
USN Mission: University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.