CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Herbert Nelson, District 3 representative for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board, announced his resignation from the board during Tuesday night’s meeting.
As the meeting came to a close, the floor was open to comments from the board members. Nelson took his turn, reminiscing about the jokes his late-pastor had told him. When the laughter subsided, Nelson took a moment before continuing.
“My time on the board is coming to an end,” Nelson said, taking off his glasses. “This will be my last official board meeting. I submitted my notice about two weeks ago.”
Nelson has served on the board since being appointed to fill an unexpired term in June 2019. He was formally elected without opposition in 2020 and re-elected on-cycle in 2022. Board members serve four-year terms, so he would have been up for re-election in 2026.
Nelson explained that the decision to resign early comes from personal health issues that he is experiencing. “My time on the board has been fulfilling,” Nelson said. “We (board) were really able to get together and bond as a board. While we may not always agree, we all have our own reasons for what we do.”
Nelson recounted his time on the board and the accomplishments they made together during his tenure: rezoning, searching for a new director of schools, opening a new school and even winning School Board of the Year. As Nelson wrapped up his remarks, the audience, staff and board members rose with applause.
Board Chairman Kent Griffy turned to Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder, director of schools, and handed her his gavel. “I’m going to ask that we pass the gavel down to Mr. Nelson and let him finish this meeting out.”
After the director’s report, Nelson smiled and, with gavel in hand, announced, “That concludes our meeting.”
No information has yet been released on appointing someone to fill Nelson’s seat as District 3 representative.
Chris Smith contributed to this report.
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