Remembering Brian
The sudden death of Triple Gator alumnus Brian Dassler (BA, MEd ’02, EdD ’16) early Tuesday morning (March 21) has many at UF, the College of Education, the Florida Department of Education and educators across the nation mourning the loss of the rising “public education superstar.” Dassler died of natural causes at age 38 in Tallahassee, where he was deputy chancellor of educator quality for the DOE.
Brian still has many close friends and colleagues at UF, where he earned three degrees—a bachelor’s in English, a master’s in secondary education and a doctorate in Education Leadership. Brian twice was named Outstanding Young Alumnus at UF—once each by the colleges of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences. In 2006, while teaching at Stranahan High School, he was named Teacher of the Year in Broward County, Florida, the nation’s sixth largest school system.
Brian had come to the Florida DOE from New Orleans, where he’d moved after Hurricane Katrina to become the founding principal of KIPP Renaissance High School, a part of the nationally recognized KIPP network of public charter schools. While working at FLDOE, Brian also served on the Council of Advisors at UF’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service.
Honoring Brian’s Legacy
To honor Brian’s life and career as a transformative educator, the UF College of Education has created a memorial fund. The Brian Dassler Transformational Leader Memorial Fund will support graduate students seeking opportunities to transform schools and schooling, with a preference for students with an interest in educational policy. Through this fund, we hope to honor his vision and legacy of achieving educational equity for all children.
