Dr. Adrienne Battle has announced the appointment of two district leaders and five new principals for the upcoming school year.
Sarah Robinson Chin will be joining Metro Schools as the Chief of Strategy, a position that oversees strategic investments, initiatives, and federal programs. Chin has most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Indianapolis Public Schools, where she oversaw the development of federal ESSER plans and launched a tutoring initiative to support learning recovery. She earned her Master of Science from the University of Oxford, a Master of Education from Christian Brothers University, and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, and she has more than a decade of experience in education as a teacher, district administrator, and advisor.
“Sarah has shown great vision and leadership in Indianapolis, and it’s clear that she already has some exciting ideas for helping our schools advance in the short term and the long term,” Dr. Battle said. “I’m thrilled that she’s joining our team at MNPS.”
Dr. Keri Randolph, who helped lead ESSER planning for the district and launched initiatives such as the Accelerating Scholars tutoring program and Promising Scholars summer learning camps, will be departing the role of Chief of Strategy at the end of June to return to Hamilton County, where she will lead the Chattanooga 2.0 education advocacy organization.
“Dr. Randolph has made a huge impact on our students and schools in the two years since she joined the district,” Dr. Battle said. “She hit the ground running and kept picking up the pace. We will miss her and her work, but we’re glad she’s staying in Tennessee.”
Renita Forbes Perry has been named Chief of Innovation for MNPS, a position previously held by Dr. Sharon Griffin, who retired in January of 2022. This position oversees the district’s priority schools. Perry has been serving as interim-Executive Officer for the Schools of Innovation since Dr. Griffin’s retirement and previously served as Executive Director for Elementary Schools in the division. She brings more than 20 years of school leadership and teaching experience, including in Morocco, Texas, and Tennessee.
Perry's educational experiences primarily have been working with English language learners, including opening the only dual-language immersion school in Tennessee. Perry holds a bachelor’s in teaching English as a second language and an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction from Union University as well as a master’s in leadership and policy studies from the University of Memphis.
“Renita shows every day that she understands how to help schools get the most out of their teachers, support staff, and students so they can address issues and find effective, sustainable solutions,” Dr. Battle said. “I’m excited to see what she’ll be able to do in this new role.”
In addition to the principal appointments announced on May 24, Dr. Battle has appointed five additional principals to start the 2022-23 school year:
Cane Ridge Elementary
Dr. Chris Plummer will join Metro Nashville Public Schools as the next principal at Cane Ridge Elementary.
Dr. Plummer is an experienced educator and administrator with 20 years of experience, 10 of those as an administrator at West Elementary in Wilson County. He has a doctorate degree in educational leadership from Lipscomb University, master’s degrees in educational leadership (Charleston Southern University) and education (Southern Wesleyan University), and a bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University. He and his wife, Julie, have two children, Kate (13) and Crews (10).
East Nashville Magnet High School
The district has appointed Myra Taylor as the next principal of East High. Taylor has more than 22 years of teaching and administrative experience, including 15 years in MNPS. She has taught middle and high school English and Advanced Placement English and served as an administrator at Hillsboro, Whites Creek and East high schools, Madison Middle, and Buena Vista and Jones Paideia elementary schools.
Taylor holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from Tennessee State University. She has two sons, a college sophomore and a senior in high school.
Haynes Middle School (interim)
Metro Nashville Public Schools has asked veteran administrator Dr. Debra Messenger-Smith to continue as interim principal at Haynes Middle School until the right candidate is identified for Haynes.
Dr. Smith retired from Metro Schools in 2019 but has continued to work on a contract basis as an assistant principal at Pennington Elementary and assistant principal and interim principal at Haynes. She has more than 36 years of teaching and administrative experience. She has served as a teacher at Pennington Elementary, Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary and Dupont Hadley Middle School. Dr. Smith served as principal at Buena Vista and at Jones Paideia Elementary School and as an MNPS executive director and lead principal.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from the University of Tennessee at Martin, a Master of Education degree in administration and supervision, and a doctorate in leadership and professional practices from Trevecca Nazarene University.
Jones Paideia Elementary School (interim)
Dr. Tesia Wilson has been appointed the interim principal of Jones Paideia to replace Myra Taylor, who is leaving to become principal of East High.
Dr. Wilson is a graduate of MNPS and has served in the district for 19 years. Her extensive experience as a teacher, literacy coach, teacher mentor, and assistant principal has given her an appreciation of each role and how each role works together to build an effective, resourceful, and innovative school culture. She currently serves as assistant principal at Alex Green Design Technology Magnet and is an adjunct professor at Austin Peay State University.
Paragon Mills Elementary
MNPS has appointed Andy Lyons as the next principal at Paragon Mills Elementary. Lyons joins the district with 22 years of education experience. He began in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, where he served as a teacher, academic coach, assistant principal, and principal. After 16 years with CMCSS, he made the transition to the United Arab Emirates, where he served as a principal and director in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for the past six years.
He earned his master's degree from Trevecca Nazarene University in educational leadership. His passion is making a real connection with each of his students and making sure they understand they are important and valued.
“All of these principals have shown that they know how to work with teachers, support staff, students, families, and community partners to build school cultures that lead to success,” Dr. Battle said. “I’m looking forward to working with each of them and watching what they do to move these schools forward in 2022-23 and beyond.”