The Director’s Position Description
This document articulates our aspirations for the next leader of USN as well as the attributes and experience we believe our next Director will need to guide our school through the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. It was written using input from members of the PDS/USN community.
Dear USN community,
We are pleased to share an update on our search for University School of Nashville's next Director. In partnership with our search consultants at Carney, Sandoe & Associates, the Director Search Committee has been hard at work.
CS&A visited our campus over the course of two full days in early April. During the consultants’ visit, they met individually and in groups with faculty, staff, administrators, students, parents, and trustees. They also held two virtual listening sessions with USN alumni in mid-April. We appreciate the time, care, honesty, and enthusiasm with which so many of you shared your thoughts about USN and your hopes for the school’s next chapter.
The community feedback provided to our search consultants — as well as input collected through the online survey that more than 600 members of our community completed — have helped develop the
position description that outlines the qualities that we seek in our next Director. This document articulates our aspirations for the next leader of USN as well as the attributes and experience we believe our next Director will need to guide our school through the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The position description is accessible at usn.org/director and will be distributed by CS&A to its network of education professionals, as well as shared on job boards of several independent school-related associations and organizations.
Some of the most compelling and consistent themes that emerged from the survey and listening sessions include:
- An appreciation for USN’s longstanding commitments to academic excellence, nurturing student voice and passion, and the need to maintain and further enhance that commitment, including by continuing to hire, develop, and retain exceptional teachers;
- A desire for a Director who will serve as a visible and inspiring presence in the life of the school, building trust, community, and connection;
- A recognition of USN’s history as a school that thinks deeply about the future of education and serves a leader locally, regionally, and nationally, and a desire for the next Director to continue that thought leadership, including working alongside other members of the USN community to assess and build on USN’s educational and programmatic offerings; and
- The importance of operationalizing and executing the strategic framework, which was shared with the community in spring 2025.
As we turn our attention to recruiting the next best leader for USN, the Director Search Committee will work with our consultants throughout the summer and fall to identify prospects and screen candidates. We anticipate bringing finalists to campus to meet with the USN community and then making a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, which will make the final decision.
We want to thank all of you who have so generously participated in the various listening sessions and for all of your excellent feedback in the survey. We will continue to communicate as the search process unfolds. If you have further questions or feedback about the search, please email us at directorsearch@usn.org.
With appreciation,
Naima Walker Fierce, Search Committee Co-Chair
Erin Zagnoev, Search Committee Co-Chair
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
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Summer 2025 reading lists available for grades 5-12
The English Department and Hassenfeld librarians share summer reading lists for rising grades 5-12 and AP courses. View their suggestions at usn.org/reading. Lower School reading lists will be published before the last day of school.Read More -
Science Olympiad team competes at state competition
15 members of the USN Science Olympiad Team traveled to the University of Tennessee-Knoxville for the state competition and returned to USN with several medals for their stellar performance.Read More -
MS students shine at Austin Peay math competition
A team of USN Middle Schoolers excelled at the second annual Austin Peay State University math competition.Read More
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
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.
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.