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
2021-2022 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 Communications
Email
615-346-0135
Director of Equity and Inclusion
Email
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 Admission and Financial Aid
Email
615-346-0103
2021-2022 Board of Trustees
Board Chair and President: Jane Berry Jacques ’72
Vice Chair: Trudy Ward Carpenter ’76
Vice Chair: Amit Misra
Treasurer: Noni Nielsen ’93
Secretary: Frank Majors
Jane Allen
Greg Averbuch
Bahar Azhdari '00
Melanie Patterson Blank ’82
Michelle Gaskin Brown ’01
Kate Sherrard Chinn '93
Mary Britton Thompson Cummings ’93
Adelaide Grace Davis ’79
David Fitzgerald
Greg Hagood
Elizabeth Robbins Hawkins ’82
Hal Hess
Whitson Lowe, M.D.
Jon Meacham
Lauren Melkus ’96
Matthew Miller
Katie Groos Nelson '80
Arie Nettles
Michelle Wolfe Proctor '89
Jay Sangervasi
Rachel Reeves Settle ’94
Alison Smith '79
Dana Deaton Verner ’94
Jack Wallace
Chris Whitson
Crissy Wieck ’96
Tammy Wolcott ’81
Mandy Haynes Young ’85
Ex Officio
Jess Hill, Head of School
Leigh Fitts ’91, Alumnae Board President
Kendra Abkowitz Brooks '03, Alumnae Board President-Elect
Bekah Hassell, Faculty Representative
Ellen Maguire Vick ’89, National Advisory Council Chair
Elizabeth Sullivan, Parents Association President
Ansel Cline, Parents Association President-Elect
Honorary Trustees
Jean Ann Banker
Melinda Owen Bass ’58
Nancy Graves Beveridge ’80
Varina Frazer Buntin ’61
Linda Williams Dale ’56
Delta Anne Davis ’73
Patty Litton Delony ’66
Robert S. Doolittle
Barbara Richards Haugen ’68
John Rivers Ingram
Martha Rivers Ingram
Robert Weeks Kitchel
Kenneth J. Melkus
Britton H. Nielsen
Norris Nielsen
Richard W. Oliver
Barbara Massey Rogers ’56
Susan Willingham Simons ’60
W. Lucas Simons
Mary Schlater Stumb ’53
Jackie Glover Thompson ’64
Emily Cate Tidwell ’75
Peggy Smith Warner ’54
Dudley Brown White ’49
Deceased Honorary Trustees
Martin S. Brown, Sr.
Patricia C. Frist
Robert C. Hilton
Frances Caldwell Jackson ’51
Idanelle McMurry ’43
Robert E. McNeilly, Jr.
Eugene D. Pargh