A message from Brandon Hall School

Friday, December 17, 2021

Dear Brandon Hall Community,  It is with both a heavy heart and boundless gratitude that I share the news that the 2021-2022 school year will be my last year as your President and Head of School. My family has called this verdant campus home since the 2016-2017 school year. The river view has brought comfort during rough times like the passing of my mother and more recently my father-in-law. It has also provided a backdrop for celebrations like graduation lunches, parent gatherings, and outdoor class sessions. There is no perfect time to leave a place you love, but the promise of new beginnings and challenges brings me solace. One of my first acts, six years ago, was to meet 1:1 with all faculty to understand the collective vision for Brandon Hall. Those conversations were powerful and foundational for the amazing evolution of BHS. We have weathered storms together, especially navigating life through a pandemic. Brandon Hall is positioned to welcome new, energized leadership. Our many accomplishments across the past 6 years include: Establishing the “Find Your Path, Lead the Way” motto and building student-centered programs around the ethic of “Leadership, Scholarship, Service.”  The 2017 founding of the renowned Center for Global Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurial Studies which will welcome Cohorts 8 and 9 this summer. This marked a turning point in Brandon Hall’s history as our reputation grew as a training ground and incubator for young leaders and entrepreneurs. Expanding strategic partnerships to over 12 schools including the elite organizations The Skill Factory and Atlanta Workshop Players. Successful fundraising and grant acquisition to fund capital improvements: the renovation of Sipple Hall, campus expansion to create “The Villages” including two new dorms, the design and implementation of a new Arts and Innovation wing that includes a TV Studio, robotics, music engineering spaces, and an arts studio.  The 2020 inception of The Therese A. Fusto Microgrants to fund student passion projects including the creation of the Brandon Hall Farm and Homestead. Earning the prestigious Niche ranking as an A+ school and a Top 15% Best Private School and Top 9% Most Diverse in the USA. Your support and steadfast commitment to the Brandon Hall mission lives daily in all corners of the campus. My final months here are not a time to wax nostalgic or look back. There is always work to be done and my focus is razor sharp. Our Advancement efforts recently yielded the largest donor gift in school history of $160,000.00 in support of infrastructure and renovations. Additional major gifts have been procured to support and grow afternoon programs. Let’s continue with this momentum.  I will never forget my time at BHS and take great pride in knowing my daughter, Angelina 20’, was raised and educated by some of the most caring and talented people in the education world. I will forever be connected to the Brandon Hall family. Long live #PantherNation!

Humbly and gratefully yours,  ‌ Dean J. Fusto

Dear Brandon Hall Community, It is with honor and respect that I write to you in acknowledgement of Dean Fusto’s decision to end his tenure with Brandon Hall at the end of this academic year, June 2022. Dean will lead the school community through June 2022, and will continue to play an integral role in making this the best school year possible at Brandon Hall. We are so grateful for Dean’s extraordinary leadership. Dean has been instrumental in the School’s strategic and operational successes, guiding Brandon Hall through many changes and managing the enormous challenges of Covid-19, just to name a few. As a scholar and thought leader, Dean has led the school with characteristic expertise and professionalism. And even with his achievements, it has always been Dean’s love for the students and community that sets him apart. Dean has been an ardent advocate for student engagement at all levels. Dean’s contributions to the development of Brandon Hall School over the past 6 years are innumerable and his leadership will be deeply missed. As Chair of the Board of Trustees, we are mindful that our most important duty is to ensure that Brandon Hall has strong, capable and caring leadership that furthers Brandon Hall’s mission and values. We have established a Board Committee to lead the search for a new head of school, with an open possibility to position an interim head before selecting a final candidate. We are committed to a process shaped by and inclusive of the many voices in our community. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we look forward to continuing to work with Dean over the next six months as we make a smooth transition to our next Head of School. As many of you will recognize in your own way, Dean has impacted Brandon Hall in such a myriad of exceptional and innovative ways. We look forward to celebrating Dean’s many accomplishments and thanking him for his exceptional service to Brandon Hall School. We are committed to making this a successful and celebratory year both for Dean Fusto, and the entire Brandon Hall community. We look forward to a future that has never been brighter, thanks in large part to each and every one of you. As a community, we have every reason to look ahead with optimism. Thank you for everything you do for our School, Brandon Hall. With gratitude,

Karen White Chair, Board of Trustees