Director of Safety, Security announced

8/19/2023

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.

As a Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission-certified individual, Washington will work directly with Vanderbilt University Public Safety and USN’s other external security professionals as well as supervise Vanderbilt University Police Department Officers and Community Service Officers working on USN’s Edgehill and River Campuses. Her addition to USN’s Administrative Team is part of the growing relationship between the K-12 school and its former parent institution, as USN remains an independent school governed by a Board of Trustees yet looks to external partners and consultants for their expertise in areas outside of education.

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.

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