Former college board member and longtime Nashville education and learning supporter Kay Louise Snyder Simmons died Friday.
She was 72 and experienced a lengthy struggle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a brain problem.
Simmons represented District 9 on the Metro Nashville Board of Public Education’s Board of Directors from 2009 to 2012.
She commenced her decades-long profession in Nashville as a fundraiser and would go on to provide as a improvement officer for a roster of education institutions, such as:
- Vanderbilt College
- Vanderbilt Medical Middle
- Vanderbilt Children’s Clinic
- Vanderbilt Law School
- The Local community Basis of Center Tennessee
- Montgomery Bell Academy
- University College of Nashville
- Metro Nashville Public Colleges
Simmons was not experienced as an educator but honed her enthusiasm for education right after College College of Nashville’s board elected her to serve as interim head of university for the 1990-1991 tutorial 12 months.
A harbinger for instruction, Simmons was the founding executive director of the Canby Robinson Society at the Vanderbilt Medical Middle and the Dean’s Council at Vanderbilt Regulation School.
She drew her target to community training in 2003, starting to be the founding executive director of the Nashville Alliance for Community Schooling, now identified as the Nashville Community Instruction Basis.
She served as specific assistant to previous Director of Nashville Community Faculties Pedro Garcia from 2007 to 2008 before serving as a board member for Metro Nashville Community Universities.
Simmons was also lively in the Nashville community, serving on a number of nonprofit and authorities boards and commissions, such as:
- The Land Have faith in for Tennessee
- Greenways for Nashville
- The Metro Greenways Commission
- The International Storytelling Heart in Jonesborough, Tennessee
- The Maddox Charitable Fund
- The Adventure Science Middle
- Metro Parks and Recreation
- Metro Historical Fee
- The vestry of Christ Church Cathedral
- Southern Association of Colleges and Universities accreditation committees
At her house on Richland Avenue, Simmons taken care of a flower backyard and was recognized to host gourmet dinners, in accordance to her obituary. She started the nonetheless-standing Richland Avenue tradition of lining the street with 300 carved and lit jack-o’-lanterns on Halloween.
She and her spouse and children also hosted more than 25 trade pupils in their property.
Simmons was born in Louisville, Ky., and attended Assumption Superior College and Seneca High College, where by she graduated in 1967. She graduated from the College of Kentucky in Lexington with a diploma in public relations in 1971.
She is survived by her spouse of 50 a long time, Keith Simmons their three children, Jennifer Simmons McGugin, Lauren Kay Simmons Beem, and Barton William Simmons and grandchildren ranging from ages 16 months to 13 a long time: Dan, Thomas and Matthew McGugin Anna, Sophie and Will Beem and Scout, Talley and Tru Simmons.
She is also survived by sisters Susan Snyder Moremen of Louisville and Pat Snyder of Nashville and brothers Tom Snyder of Nashville and Don Snyder of Louisville.
Simmons’ burial liturgy will be Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. at Christ Church Cathedral at 900 Broadway in Nashville. Visitation will be at the Simmons’ dwelling at 1112 Park Ridge Push in Nashville on Nov. 20 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and at Christ Church Cathedral at 12:30 previous the Nov. 21 assistance.
A private burial will be at Larkspur Conservation All-natural Burial Grounds.
In lieu of flowers, contributions could be designed to University School of Nashville, Greenways for Nashville, or the Nashville Public Education and learning Foundation.
Achieve reporter Cassandra Stephenson at [email protected] or at (731) 694-7261. Stick to Cassandra on Twitter at @CStephenson731.
More Stories
Loudoun Co. Public Educational facilities responds to particular education teachers’ promises of sexual assault
Racism in English training need to be observed as safeguarding challenge, says author | Education and learning
Ohio’s new K-12 education chief resigns immediately after considerably less than 1 thirty day period on the task