Dr. Scott S. Brabrand, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, has been named as the new Executive Director of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS) by the organization’s Board of Directors. Dr. Brabrand, who manages the 12th largest school division in the United States serving approximately 180,000 students, will complete five years as Fairfax’s superintendent before he begins his leadership of VASS this July.
Dr. Brabrand rose through the ranks as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent in Fairfax before becoming the school division’s superintendent. While superintendent, he has led many significant school division achievements. Among them are successfully returning 99.5% of the division’s students to in-person instruction during the Pandemic, increasing the graduation from 91% to 94% from 2017-2021, and leading systemic changes in the school division in order for the division’s most challenged students to succeed.
Prior to his work in Fairfax, he served for five years as superintendent of Lynchburg City Schools, a division of 8,000 students in central Virginia. In Lynchburg his leadership helped increase the Standards of Learning test pass rate in math by almost 14 points and in reading by 9 points. He also improved the division’s graduation rate by 11% for economically disadvantaged students.
Dr. Brabrand is the Past President of VASS, a professional non-profit organization that serves the state’s 133 superintendents all of whom are members. In his new capacity, he will provide leadership for the professional growth of Virginia’s superintendents and promote advocacy for the improvement of the state’s public schools.
In the selection of Dr. Brabrand, Dr. Zebedee Talley, Jr., the current VASS President and superintendent of Martinsville City Schools, said, “We are extremely delighted to have Scott as our organization’s new Executive Director.” He continued, “Scott brings many great leadership talents to VASS and a strong vision for the future in which he will grow and strengthen the organization so that it better serves its members and improves public education overall in Virginia.”
During his acceptance of the appointment, Dr. Brabrand exclaimed that, “As a life-long Virginian and product of Virginia’s32 public schools, I am honored and humbled to accept this position on behalf of all of my fellow superintendents.” He continued, “The Virginia superintendents have done an outstanding job under unprecedented conditions to serve the students, parents, staff and communities of this Commonwealth.” “They will continue to focus on the success of every child and ensure that Virginia remains the leader in public education in this country,” he assured.
Dr. Brabrand will replace Dr. Ben Kiser, the current VASS Executive Director. VASS President Zeb Talley, complimented Dr. Kiser’s work during the past seven years, when he said, “Ben has elevated the organization to a new level where he has increased VASS’s influence statewide and he has expanded the support that VASS provides its members, especially during the Pandemic.”
