Tennessee district names new director of transportation

LEBANON, Tenn. — School transportation veteran Jerry Partlow has been tapped to lead the transportation department at Wilson County Schools — a role that he held more than 10 years ago.

Donna Wright, the district’s director of schools, announced Partlow’s hiring on Thursday. The news came a few days after the district fired Tiffany Lowery, who held the director of transportation position for less than a year.

Partlow most recently served as transportation supervisor for Robertson County (Tenn.) Schools. His previous tenure with Wilson County Schools began in 1994 as director of operations, which then included the transportation department. He was later named transportation director, and he continued to oversee Wilson County Schools’ bus service when the district contracted with First Student.

“Jerry has over 20 years [of] experience in school bus transportation, and 10 of those were spent as the head of transportation for Wilson County Schools,” Wright said. “In talking with many of the long-term drivers about when they felt the transportation department operated at its best, Jerry’s name was mentioned time and again.”

Partlow left Wilson County Schools in 2004, when he took a position with First Student as regional sales director. In that role, he worked with various school districts and assisted with new contract start-ups around the eastern U.S.

Wright said that Partlow was told of Wilson County Schools' director of transportation opening last week and immediately expressed his interest.

“Drawing on his years of experience, we are confident Jerry will work diligently to improve the current operations of our transportation department by actively attracting drivers and supporting the current staff,” Wright said.

Partlow said that he is excited to return to his home county and to work with school bus drivers whom he knows from his earlier term at Wilson County Schools, as well as with newer employees in the transportation department.

“I look forward to coming home and working hard to make it the top-notch department I know it can be,” he said.

Partlow is slated to start his new job as director of transportation on Sept. 24.