Welcoming USN's Next Director

The Transition Committee’s goal for the next 18 months is to ensure this leadership transition moves as smoothly as possible for the 12th PDS/USN Director and the USN community. The work will center on building relationships and strengthening trust. 
Dear PDS/USN community,

The Board of Trustees has formed a Transition Committee to support our new Director and his family in their move from New Orleans to Nashville and to facilitate his introduction to the people, traditions, and culture that make University School of Nashville. This committee will serve as a bridge, sharing context and history, organizing events, and ensuring that Rob Hereford’s earliest experiences with USN reflect the warmth, openness, and curiosity of our community.

Already, Rob has introduced himself to High School students through The Peabody Press. Just last week, the Hereford family visited Nashville to begin their home search and for Jojo ’28 to spend a day shadowing his future classmates at USN. Rob was able to meet with administrators, trustees, and alumni returning to our Edgehill Campus for the National Alumni Board of Visitors’ annual meeting. Over the past month, he and Interim Director Juliet Douglas have established a regular meeting to keep him apprised of school happenings, major projects, and events, and he attended the Board's meeting virtually. He will meet with finalists for the Head of Middle School position and assist that search committee and Juliet with the selection of that administrator. 

The Transition Committee’s goal for the next 18 months is for this leadership transition to move as smoothly as possible for not only the 12th PDS/USN Director but also the entire school community. Our work will center on building relationships and strengthening trust. The committee will create opportunities in summer and fall 2026 for every student, family, alumnus, faculty, and staff member to connect with our new Director, ask questions, offer perspectives, and share hopes for USN’s future. We look forward to connecting with you as we welcome our new Director to campus so that he may quickly discover what makes USN such a welcoming and inclusive place of learning.

Sincerely,
The Transition Committee
Tonia Klein, Committee Chair, Trustee, USNA President 2018-2019,
Parent of Alumna ’25, Parent ’28
Alex Jahangir, Board President, Parent ’29, ’31, ’32
Kim Kikkawa, USNA Co-President 2025-2026, Parent ’29
Jennifer Lefkovitz, Red Door Kindergarten Teacher, Parent ’37
Stephen Schleicher ’01, Alumnus, Parent ’32, ’34, ’37
Natalie Sewell, Administrative Assistant to the Director
Amy Tidwell, USNA Co-President 2025-2026, Parent ’30, ’32
Juanita Traughber, Director of Marketing & Communications
Naima Walker Fierce, Trustee, Parent ’27
Anne Westfall, Director of Development, Parent ’27
Erin Zagnoev, Board Vice President, Parent ’29, ’32, ’35
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Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212

Phone:  615-321-8000
Fax:       615-321-0889 
Email:    info@usn.org

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1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218

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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.