Metro Schools Leadership Team
Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle works closely with a leadership team overseeing the divisions that serve and support MNPS's schools, students, and staff.
"The backbone of any good organization is talented people who are willing to be servant leaders and fight every day to improve the lives of those we serve.” — Dr. Adrienne Battle
Mason Bellamy
Chief of Academics and Schools
A veteran educator and administrator who joined MNPS in 2020, Dr. Bellamy began his career in elementary education in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System as a teacher, assistant principal, and then principal. Dr. Bellamy joined that district’s leadership in 2014 as Director of Services for Exceptional Students, managing and evaluating special education programs throughout the district, while also serving as the principal of Kenwood Middle School. He later went on to serve as Director of Elementary Schools, helping 19 of 23 eligible schools earn Reward status from the state of Tennessee, before starting a new position as Director of High Schools.
Renita Perry
Chief of Innovation
Renita Forbes Perry brings more than 20 years of school leadership and teaching experience, including in Morocco, Texas, and Tennessee, to the role of Chief of Innovation, overseeing priority schools and the Magnet School Assistance Program (MSAP). Previously serving as Interim-Executive Officer for Innovation, Perry's educational experiences primarily have been working with English language learners, including opening the only dual-language immersion school in Tennessee. Perry holds a bachelor’s in teaching English as a second language and an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction from Union University as well as a master’s in leadership and policy studies from the University of Memphis.
Hank Clay
Chief of Staff
Hank Clay returned to MNPS in 2019 to serve as chief of staff. He previously oversaw the district's government relations. Before rejoining the district, Clay led a team across the state at Communities In Schools of Tennessee, which partners with schools to coordinate wraparound services to reduce chronic absenteeism. Clay began his career working for the Tennessee Comptroller's Office and the Tennessee Department of Education. He has master's degrees in public administration and social work from the University of Georgia.
Sarah Robinson Chin
Chief Strategy Officer
Sarah Robinson Chin oversees strategic investments, initiatives and federal programs. Before joining Metro Schools in 2022, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Indianapolis Public Schools, where she oversaw the development of federal ESSER plans and launched a tutoring initiative to support learning recovery. She earned her Master of Science from the University of Oxford, a Master of Education from Christian Brothers University and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. Additionally, she has more than a decade of experience in education as a teacher, district administrator, and advisor.
Lisa Spencer
Chief of Human Resources
Lisa Spencer joined the MNPS Human Resources department in 2017, where she has served in leadership roles focused on HR operations and services. Her career has spanned more than 30 years of enhancing the way public- and private-sector organizations achieve results through the design, implementation, and enhancement of a wide array of business and human resources systems and programs. Lisa is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, an alumna of LEAD Tennessee and the Tennessee Government Executive Institute, and holds a Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources Leadership from Tennessee Technological University.
Michelle Springer
Chief of Student Support Services
Dr. Springer has nearly 20 years of experience in education and has served MNPS in many capacities, including as a teacher, special education coach, instructional facilitator, assistant principal, principal, and principal supervisor. Before moving into this role in 2020, she served as an executive director of school support and improvement in the Cane Ridge cluster and, finally, as the interim community superintendent for the southeast quadrant.
Maura Black Sullivan
Chief Operating Officer
Maura Sullivan joined MNPS after serving for more than five years in the COO position for the City of Chattanooga for former Mayor Andy Berke. Sullivan brings more than a decade of experience in Memphis and Shelby County as the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Memphis, as well as the Assistant Superintendent of Planning and Student Services for Shelby County Schools from 2000-2008. She oversees MNPS's transportation, security, and facilities and maintenance divisions and will provide key strategic insight to district leadership on how to improve and streamline operations for enhanced customer service.
Chris Henson
Chief Financial Officer
Chris Henson has been with MNPS for more than 20 years and oversees the finance departments, including development and management of the district’s operating and capital improvement budgets. Under his leadership, MNPS was the first school district in Tennessee to be awarded the Meritorious Budget Award for Excellence by the Association of School Business Officials International. Henson is a longtime member of the State Board of Education’s Basic Education Program (BEP) Review Committee and serves as past president of the Tennessee Association of School Business Officials. He graduated with honors from Trevecca Nazarene University.