Faculty, staff share summer achievements

While students were away this summer, faculty & staff received accolades, earned achievements, and accomplished professional and personal milestones.
By Ian Dinkins, Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications

Middle School After School Associate Director Cody Case completed his Ed.S. degree in School Counseling at Lipscomb University and became a licensed school counselor. 

Middle & High School Chinese Teacher Josephine Huang, M.Ed., M.S was invited by the College Board as a presenter for the annual AP Conference this year in Las Vegas. Her presentation topic was “Elevarint AP Chinese: Innovative Strategies for Teaching and Learning.”

Middle School Athletic Director Mike Gimblette attended the Southern Teachers Athletic Director Training Camp in Charlottesville, Virginia. While at the conference, Gimblette learned the ins and outs of being an athletic director, including organization tips, budgeting transparency, and coach retention.

Assistant Director of College Counseling Carly Dixon, M.Ed. co-led a conference for the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools. She spent three days in Baltimore guiding 35 fellow independent school counselors on best practices for writing letters of recommendation, developing a college counseling curriculum, and communicating effectively with students and families. 
 
She also presented at NACAC's Guiding the Way to Inclusion conference in New Orleans to a room of over 130 admissions and college counseling professionals on implicit bias and how it shows up in letters of recommendation. The presentation was based on research and training Stafford had conducted for teachers and counselors. She also built an AI detector for implicit bias.

Director of College Counseling Aaron Fulk presented at NAIS Thrive in St. Louis on the myths around college admissions.

Fulk also appeared on the Scoir Inc. podcast to discuss strategies for counselors in supporting students and families through the college decision-making process. The discussion highlighted the crucial role of counselors in guiding families with empathy, expertise, and practical support.

Director of Diversity and Community Life Roderick White, J.D. attended the National Conference on Race and Equity in Secondary Education at the University of Oklahoma. The conference was designed to provide a significant forum for discussion, critical dialogue, and exchange of information as institutions search for effective strategies to enhance access, social development, education, positive communication, and cross-cultural understanding in culturally diverse settings.
 
White also served as a faculty member at the NAIS Diversity Leadership Institute, a residential institute that features one-to-one connections and small- and large-group interactions that reinforce engagement with institute content and process.

Head of Middle School Shavon Davis Louis, Ed.D. participated in the NAIS Aspiring Heads Fellowship and served as a mentor for aspiring leaders of color in Tennessee as part of the TN Educators of Color Alliance Fellowship.
 
High School Theater Director Lillian Palmer graduated from Vanderbilt University with her Ed.D. in May.

High School English Department Chair Freya Sachs and High School Math Department Chair Cindy Crenshaw presented at the Summit for Transformative Learning in St. Louis. The summit brings together experts and master teachers to share research-based, sustainable learning practices.

Sachs and Crenshaw’s topic was “How can we get students learning together, talking again?”

In the session, they shared strategies and case studies that center on a variety of learning modes that effectively ask students to learn with each other. Thinking across English and Math spaces, they also shared ways to engage a variety of learners in the process of discovery. 

Crenshaw also attended the Malone Schools Online Network summer workshop in Los Angeles. The conference gave Crenshaw the chance to connect with colleagues from across the country. Starting this school year, her cohort will meet monthly to discuss new trends in education and troubleshoot situations that arise at their schools.  

Assistant Head of High School for Academics Jeff Edmonds, Ph.D. presented "How to Build an Effective Academic Team" at the SAIS Summer Conference in Asheville, NC. It centered on his collaborative work at USN with department chairs supporting faculty and leading curricular change. His session was one of a few sessions designated specifically for Division Heads at the conference.
 
Jeff was also named an SAIS Accreditation Chair and will be leading an accreditation team this year at Stratford Academy in Macon, GA as they go through their accreditation cycle.
Assistant Head of School Quinton P. Walker. Ed.D. completed the LGBTQ Executive Leadership Program through Stanford University. 

Director of Marketing and Communications Juanita Traughber, MBA, APR was named to the University of Georgia's 40 Under 40 Class of 2024. The university’s 40 Under 40 program celebrates the personal, professional, and philanthropic achievements of successful UGA graduates under the age of 40. Traughber will return to Athens, Ga. in September to speak to students and be recognized during the 40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon.

During the summer, she also earned certificates in Crisis Communications and Advanced Crisis Communications from the Public Relations Society of America and is making progress on a certificate in Reputation Risk Management. PRSA’s certificate courses are online certificate-of-completion programs designed to equip management-level communicators with solid perspectives on best practices and resources to meet the changing demands in PR’s converging industry.

A huge thank you to the generous supporters of the annual fund and USN philanthropy, who make professional development and leadership opportunities available for faculty and staff.
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