About
Bryon G. Gustafson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Public Safety and Sr. Director of Public Safety programs at the University of Virginia. He works with a team of exceptional colleagues to deliver robust educational experiences that prepare and empower today's public safety leaders for tomorrow's challenges.
Previously Dr. Gustafson served in a variety of public service roles. He was Dean of Public Safety at American River College overseeing administration of justice and fire technology degrees, police and fire academies, and a large public safety training center. He was unanimously elected as the 50th Chief Sergeant-at-Arms by the California State Assembly for its 2017-2018 session. As an officer of the California Legislature, he had law enforcement, protocol, and administrative responsibilities to provide a safe and secure environment at the State Capitol and legislative office buildings, as well as globally-operational dignitary protection for the Speaker and members. Prior to that he was Chief of Police at the Stockton Unified School District Police Department where he led a staff of 200 to provide safe school settings for more than 50,000 students and staff. From 2005 to 2014 he served at the California Department of Justice, Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), culminating as Chief of Standards, Evaluation, and Research. In that role he was responsible for selection and training standards for approximately 1 in 10 of America’s uniformed law enforcement personnel. During his years at POST, Dr. Gustafson also served as an Affiliated Faculty Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Colorado Denver. Combining these roles his research focused on causes and interventions relative to fatal and career-ending law enforcement traffic collisions. He led a multidisciplinary research team that won the 2012 IACP Excellence in Law Enforcement Research Award for their work. Their findings were published in 2015 in Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, in an issue Dr. Gustafson co-edited. The early part of his career (1992-2005) spanned entry-level, supervisory, and management roles in municipal policing and the fire service, as well as a variety of political activities, including elected governance in K-12 education.
Dr. Gustafson is a graduate of the 218th FBI National Academy and was the 113th President of the Delinquency Control Institute at the University of Southern California (USC). He holds a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from the University of Colorado Denver, is a Pi Alpha Alpha MPA graduate of USC, and also holds a Magna Cum Laude BS in Psychology from Excelsior College. He is married to Dr. Sara E. McClellan. Bryon and Sara are deeply committed to friends, travel, nature, gym workouts, music, and the relentless pursuit of mixology and culinary excellence. They have two cats—Sedona and Theo—and split their time between homes in Charlottesville, VA, and Sedona, AZ.
Previously Dr. Gustafson served in a variety of public service roles. He was Dean of Public Safety at American River College overseeing administration of justice and fire technology degrees, police and fire academies, and a large public safety training center. He was unanimously elected as the 50th Chief Sergeant-at-Arms by the California State Assembly for its 2017-2018 session. As an officer of the California Legislature, he had law enforcement, protocol, and administrative responsibilities to provide a safe and secure environment at the State Capitol and legislative office buildings, as well as globally-operational dignitary protection for the Speaker and members. Prior to that he was Chief of Police at the Stockton Unified School District Police Department where he led a staff of 200 to provide safe school settings for more than 50,000 students and staff. From 2005 to 2014 he served at the California Department of Justice, Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), culminating as Chief of Standards, Evaluation, and Research. In that role he was responsible for selection and training standards for approximately 1 in 10 of America’s uniformed law enforcement personnel. During his years at POST, Dr. Gustafson also served as an Affiliated Faculty Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Colorado Denver. Combining these roles his research focused on causes and interventions relative to fatal and career-ending law enforcement traffic collisions. He led a multidisciplinary research team that won the 2012 IACP Excellence in Law Enforcement Research Award for their work. Their findings were published in 2015 in Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, in an issue Dr. Gustafson co-edited. The early part of his career (1992-2005) spanned entry-level, supervisory, and management roles in municipal policing and the fire service, as well as a variety of political activities, including elected governance in K-12 education.
Dr. Gustafson is a graduate of the 218th FBI National Academy and was the 113th President of the Delinquency Control Institute at the University of Southern California (USC). He holds a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from the University of Colorado Denver, is a Pi Alpha Alpha MPA graduate of USC, and also holds a Magna Cum Laude BS in Psychology from Excelsior College. He is married to Dr. Sara E. McClellan. Bryon and Sara are deeply committed to friends, travel, nature, gym workouts, music, and the relentless pursuit of mixology and culinary excellence. They have two cats—Sedona and Theo—and split their time between homes in Charlottesville, VA, and Sedona, AZ.