Corporate leader tapped to handle facilities, business for Memphis schools

Shelby County Schools has hired a corporate executive in Memphis to oversee its business operations.

Beth Phalen (SCS)

In her new role with Tennessee’s largest district, Beth Phalen will oversee facilities planning and maintenance, nutrition services, district purchases and contracts, transportation and risk management.

She was most recently executive vice president of strategy and operations for ISS Facility Services and before that served as vice president of business operations at Memphis-based ServiceMaster.

Phalen fills a vacancy open since mid-2015 and rounds out Superintendent Dorsey Hopson’s leadership team. Hopson took the helm in 2013 as the district’s first chief after the former Memphis City Schools merged with legacy Shelby County Schools.

The hire comes as Shelby County Schools is reshaping its facilities footprint and seeking to maintain a large number of aging buildings. The district also is seeking to diversify its business contracts to include more minority- and women-owned businesses.

Phalen replaces Hitesh Haria, now with Oakland Unified School District in California. Cerita Butler, the district’s director of business operations and procurement, has served as interim chief.