Instructional Dean Matthew Brummett will leave friends and family behind as he transitions from his current role to become the assistant principal at Suzanne Middle School.

Brummett was unanimously voted as the middle school’s new administrator by the Walnut Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees last Wednesday.

Having worked at Diamond Bar High School since 2010, Brummett initially taught history and coached varsity soccer for the school. In 2015, he was named instructional dean for the Social Studies, English and PE/Health divisions.

Brummett says he will miss the bonds he formed while working at DBHS, as many of the staff members have supported him through some of the most important times in his life.

“There are teachers and administrators and support staff here who have been side by side with me through my biggest life milestones. Some of the teachers and administrators here were at my wedding,” Brummett said. “All of them that I know really well were very supportive when our daughter was born.”

Despite the bittersweet farewells, Brummet said he is excited to begin in his new role, which he will begin on July 1. Brummett will be working more closely with students than he currently is.

“Getting a different experience at the middle school level will be valuable to me, working with different grade levels,” Brummett said. “As an Instructional Dean, my number one focus is making sure that we are providing our students with quality education by supporting our teachers. In my new role, I will be able to do that, but I will also be doing more student support. I think it’s a great opportunity for me to get more experience as an administrator.”

Brummett praised the improvement he has seen at DBHS over the course of his time on campus, calling it “a special place to work.”

“The campus as a whole, as far as the performance of our students to the performance of all of our staff members, it just seems like this place keeps getting better and better,” Brummett said. “There was never a day where I was disappointed to get up in the morning and go to work. This place is amazing.”

At the same meeting, Julie Galindo was named a full-time Instructional Dean. She has been serving in the post since September on an interim basis.