Dr Battle-3707.jpg

Director, Metro Nashville Public Schools

A Nashville native, Dr. Adrienne Battle has spent almost her entire career with Metro Nashville Public Schools. Adrienne — an MNPS graduate herself — was unanimously voted to be director of MNPS in March of 2020. She has since shepherded MNPS through its recovery from the spring 2020 tornadoes, as well as the district’s ongoing response to a global pandemic. Adrienne developed an effective leadership framework to achieve consistent qualities across all levels of MNPS staff, and she works tirelessly to make sure everyone in the district understands how much they — and their critical work — are valued.

Adrienne hopes that it will be easier for the next generation of female leaders to take on these positions because many women are paving the way, reaching back to mentor and promote younger women. She adds caution to that encouragement, though: “Politics in education are hard to avoid. ‘Why you entered this field’ can seem pretty far away if you’re not grounded and strong in your convictions.”

Adrienne’s teachers inspired her career path: “When I came back to teach, I didn’t have ambitions to be the superintendent — I didn’t see anyone who looked like me in that role. But there is a first for everything, and I’m honored and proud to be the first Black woman to lead MNPS.” From heads of state to heads of nonprofits — and the many spaces in between — Adrienne believes that women are plenty “tough enough” for leadership, saying, “We’re not going to be rolled over at the expense of the people we lead, the causes we champion or the results we’re working to achieve.”