Are We a Hub for Education Reform? Opportunities and Obstacles for Schools in Nashville

Vince Durnan has been Director of University School of Nashville since 2000. A graduate of Williams College, where he was a Tyng Scholar, he also holds a Master in Education degree from Harvard and received his Ed.D. in Leadership Policy and Education from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University.  Before coming to USN, Dr. Durnan was Academic Dean at Suffield Academy, where he also taught history and economics. He has also been a history teacher and coach at Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Kingswood-Oxford School, and Harvard-Westlake School. Dr. Durnan serves on the Board of Centerstone of Tennessee, Alignment Nashville, and Malone Schools Online Network (MSON). He recently chaired the Division II Committee for the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. 

He participated in Leadership Nashville in 2002-2003 and has served recently on the Board of the Red Cross, Oasis Center, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Nashville Preparatory Charter School, Purpose Preparatory Academy Charter School, the Andrew Jackson Foundation and the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools. Dr. Durnan has both participated in and presented at the NAIS Institute for New Heads, and he contributed a chapter for the NAIS Head’s Handbook, published in 2011, and served on the faculty for Vanderbilt’s program for independent school leadership. His primary research interest is independent school/university governance relationships. He recently completed visits to more than 30 schools nationwide to survey the educational reform landscape.