Harpeth Hall School Leadership
—
Jess Hill, Head of School
For more than 150 years, Harpeth Hall has held true to the essential idea that girls deserve an excellent education full of possibilities and purpose.
We cultivate a school community that encourages academic curiosity, fosters belonging, and prepares girls to become purposeful young women ready to make a meaningful difference in the world around them.
We guide 5th through 12th grade girls to discover what it means to think critically, to lead confidently, and to live honorably at this particular time and place in history.
At Harpeth Hall, girls learn to have confidence in their opinions and respect the power of their voices. They also learn to listen for learning and understanding. Here, all students are seen, heard, and valued.
We don't strive for perfection, instead we value progress. We encourage students to take healthy risks — even if they make mistakes — because we all learn best that way. We know that building confidence and resilience go hand in hand with learning to lead ourselves and others.
In the middle school, our girls stand on a firm foundation of skills in STEM, humanities, and visual and performing arts as they are encouraged to go beyond the curriculum with our SEEK independent study program. In the upper school, our students explore a deeper understanding of the liberal arts curriculum and become proximate with the world around them through Winterim, Public Purpose, or participating in a global education.
Harpeth Hall students — intelligent, ambitious, and determined — are the leaders of tomorrow, inspired by the female trailblazers of today.
We welcome you warmly.
Jess Hill
Head of School
Leadership Team
Head of School
Email
615-346-0128
Director of the Upper School
Email
615-346-0085
Director of the Middle School
Email
615-346-0112
Director of Marketing and Communications
Email
615-346-0135
Director of Equity and Inclusion
Email
615-301-9289
Director of Athletics
Email
615-301-2281
Director of Advancement
Email
615-346-0087
Director of Finance and Operations
Email
615-346-0091
Director of Information Services
Email
615-346-0130
Director of Enrollment Management
Email
615-346-0103
Board of Trustees
Board of Trustees 2024-2025
Crissy Wieck ’96, Chair and President
Melanie Patterson Blank ’82, Vice Chair
Trudy Ward Carpenter ’76, Vice Chair
Noni Nielsen ’93, Treasurer
David Fitzgerald, Secretary
Rick Abramson
Harry Allen
Bahar Azhdari ’00
Sacha Engel Bone '93
Michelle Gaskin Brown ’01
Kate Sherrard Chinn ’93
Chris Cigarran
Adelaide Grace Davis ’79
Shani Dowell
Reid Patton Fleishman '14
Melissa Merriman Frist
Ben Gambill
Elizabeth Robbins Hawkins ’82
Hal Hess
Candice Storey Lee
Lauren Melkus '96
Travis Messina
John Morris
Arie Nettles
Barbara Keith Brown Payne ’85
Michelle Wolfe Proctor ’89
Anne Puricelli
Amy Richards
Alison Smith ’79
John Steele
Meredith McDonald Stewart '96
Dana Deaton Verner ’95
George Vidalakis
Barby Speight White '83
Tammy Wolcott ’81
Ex officio
Jess Hill, Head of School
Clark Elam Harwell '90, Faculty Representative
Amanda Powell Smith ’04, Alumnae Association Board President
Caitlin Anthony ’07, Alumnae Association Board President-Elect
Kate Berry ’00, National Advisory Council Chair
Julie Wilson, Parents Association President
Susan Burks Tatman, Parents Association President-Elect
Honorary Trustees
Jean Ann Banker
Melinda Owen Bass ’58
Nancy Graves Beveridge ’80
Varina Frazer Buntin ’61
Delta Anne Davis ’73
Patty Litton Delony ’66
Bob Doolittle
Barbara Richards Haugen ’68
Amy Grant Gill ’78
John Ingram
Martha Ingram
Jane Berry Jacques '72
Bobby Kitchel
Ken Melkus
Britton Nielsen
Norris Nielsen
Rick Oliver
Barbara Massey Rogers ’56
Susan Willingham Simons ’60
Luke Simons
Mary Schlater Stumb ’53
Jackie Glover Thompson ’64
Emily Cate Tidwell ’75
Jack Wallace
Dudley Brown White ’49
Reese Witherspoon ’94
Deceased Honorary Trustees
Martin S. Brown, Sr.
Linda Williams Dale ’56
Patricia C. Frist
Robert C. Hilton
Frances Caldwell Jackson ’51
Idanelle McMurry ’43
Robert E. McNeilly, Jr.
Eugene D. Pargh
Peggy Smith Warner ’54