About Virginia Nail School
Virginia Nail School was founded on the idea of improving the nail industry by providing more "Licensed" Nail Technicians into the industry in order to build more respect to our trade. "Licensed" Nail Techs are respected for their ability to provide a safe and sanitary service to the public. Having an actual license opens door for opportunities in the future as their skill and knowledge grows. We are a small private school with decades of experience putting licensed Nail Techs into Virginia. Following our graduates to licensure is very important to us.
About half of our students come here after being scammed by salon apprenticeships, attending unlicensed schools, going to nail schools with a course that did not fully prepare them for an updated licensing exam or offer assistance after graduation, leaving schools with instructor/training issues or schools that went out of business (especially when fcused on managing their other higher paying beauty programs). Nail Education "only" schools for profit are difficult to keep open because its at a lower profit than with cosmetology, barbering or esthetics. In the past 20 years we have seen most "nail only schools" close or big beauty schools end their nail program within a few years of opening for lack of profits. The staff here are not concerned with salary here and focus on other business endeavors for our income.
We are SERIOUS about helping our students obtain licensure from their study. We keep our enrollment small enough to focus on each student and offer flexibility to attend. We cater instruction to each student's "own" learning style to lead them to an actual license not just a certificate. The instructor stays available 24/7 to all her graduates until they pass their state exams to get licensed regardless of all the varied reasons. The individual attention and 24/7 direct contact to the instructor is what sets us apart from other schools.
Our nail student "enrollment to licensure ratio" is one of the highest in the state for a reason!
We very strongly believe that students that are meant to be here will end up here. We NEVER push anyone to attend this school and enrollment questions will be answered openly for enrollment here or anywhere else.
Vivian Harris
Director & Lead Instructor
State Licensed since 1995
Ms. Vivian is a Virginia State Licensed Nail Technician Instructor with a chemical engineering education. While in college she started a nail career in Richmond at James' Nail in 1994. She learned the business of Nail Supplies, Schools and Salons at 19 and has been a Licensed Nail Technician working non-stop in the nail industry for over 30 years performing over 100,000 nail services. She has worked in low end walk-in discount salons to high end 5 star resort spas (including owning hair/nail salons and an upscale full service day spa).
Ms. Vivian has the experience to answer ALL of your nail career, FDA approved nail products and nail service questions!
Ms. Vivian donates her time to teach at Virginia Nail School. Her main job is an expert witness. She donated almost $30K in scholarship assistance to her 2025 students. Her other careers are:
- paid expert witness offering depositions & investigation assistance to help lawyers with lawsuits against salons and nail technicians/manicurists across the East Coast of the United States (the sad situations in courtrooms is what gives her the passion to teach to licensure)
- part time paid nail services to her regular clients (most with NDAs)
- volunteer worldwide for competition judging for nail events including Skills USA
- paid consultation to professional nail product manufacturers R&D Departments
- paid nail curriculum development or revisions to vocational beauty schools and state schools across the United States. This includes regular volunteer consulting to the Virginia Department Of Education to make the current improvements to the State's Nail Technician curriculum (used in public schools across Virginia offering a Nail Technician program)
- paid consultation services to salon business owners or resort spas for design and layout improvements plus increase profitability advice with help in understanding nail service equipment/options or training in all nail service types
O'nae
Assistant Instructor & Chief Office Manager
O'nae oversees the school's adminstrative operations while actively contributing to the instructional team. She is a Virginia State-licensed Master Barber and Instructor with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology (Exercise Science concentration) and a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from James Madison University. In addition to her work at our school, she serves as an Occupational Therapist in an outpatient pediatric clinic, bringing strong documentation, organization, and instructional skills. Her combined expertise in education, human performance, and clinical practice supports both the school's academic programs and its operational excellence.
- assists with curriculum and lesson plan data
- data entry and organization of tests
- organization of secure record keeping
- maintenance of textbook & nail supply inventory
- teaching support for general sciences
- will be a part time 2026 instructor here
Pharaoh
Chief Marketing Officer
Pharaoh serves as the Chief Marketing Officer, where he oversees the school's overall marketing direction, ensuring that all digital and brand initiatives, support the school's growth and visibility. He brings strong creative and strategic expertise from his role as CEO of Ledition Media in Richmond, Virginia, allowing the school to maintain a polished and modern public presence. His leadership strengthens the school's outreach efforts, enhances communication with prospective students, and supports the development of new digital projects.
- development of marketing strategies
- website security and maintenance
- marketing campaign management
- implementation of IT security tools
- manages our website platform & CRM
- working on our upcoming digital content
Prophett
Chief Financial Officer
Prophett provides financial oversight and strategic guidance to support the school's stability and growth. With a Bachelor's in Dietetics and a Master's degree in Applied Nutrition from James Madison University, he brings strong analytical skills to his role. He also works as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at the University of Virginia Hospital, applying the same precision and attention to detail that support his financial leadership at our school.
- maintenance of budgets and growth goals
- monitors financial plans, improvements & risks
- in charge of financial reporting and obligations
- records and reports of payments for bookeeping
Contact us
Telephone: (434) 305-9799 text 24/7
HOLD THE # TO SELECT TO SEND A TEXT
E-mail: sales@vanailschool.com
Address: 12 Centre Court, Palmyra VA 22963