PENCIL Welcomes New Chief Administrative Officer

Nashville, TN (January 30, 2023) – PENCIL (Public Education Needs Community Involvement and Leadership), the boots-on-the-ground community resource recruiter to Metro Nashville Public Schools, is pleased to announce that Jane Grimes Meneely has joined the staff as the organization’s Chief Administrative Officer.

In this role, Ms. Meneely will be a strategic analyst and vision setter. She will proactively assure that the operating activities of PENCIL are running smoothly and efficiently at all times so that team members have the guidance and resources they need to be successful, and that the work environment supports both their productivity and individuality by creating easy to use systems and supports at all levels of the organization. 

“As an organization that nurtures more than 800 business and community partnerships supporting public schools citywide and distributes at least three million dollars’ worth of free classroom supplies to Metro educators each year, it is imperative to our work that all our team members have the capacity for relationship building and expanding our impact in ways that serve our district,” shares PENCIL President and CEO, Angie Adams. “That is why I’m so thrilled that Jane is on our team. She is equally adept at planning as well as execution and will prepare us for continued, significant strategic growth,” Adams continues.  

Ms. Meneely brings more than 20 years of experience of helping businesses, government, educational organizations, and nonprofits advance their goals in Nashville and has a track record for knowing what needs to happen to achieve the desired results. Her involvement with nonprofits began in high school when she was a Youth Board member at Oasis Center and has continued both personally and professionally. “I have always believed that education could be the great equalizer,” says Jane. “Having been a connector most of my adult life and an avid supporter of public education, PENCIL ties in both of those into one amazing package.” 

Ms. Meneely previously ran her own consulting company focused on HR and Operations and served as PENCIL’s Interim Chief Operating Officer. She is a graduate of Belmont University’s Mini-MBA program and holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Law & Rhetoric from Stephens College. She attended Metro schools, graduated from Hillsboro High School, and is the proud parent of an MNPS fourth grader.  

Jane can be contacted at jmeneely@pencil615.org.

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About PENCIL
Founded in 1982 by a collective of Nashville business leaders, PENCIL (www.pencilforschools.org) links community resources to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to help young people achieve academic success and prepare for life. Our work is guided by the needs of MNPS, is student-centric, and is achieved through partnerships and tangible engagements. PENCIL envisions a world where all students have equitable access to opportunities and resources.