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South County Middle School Principal Justin Simmons (l.); Mount Vernon Police District Commander Capt. Marc Mitchell (c.); and United Community Interim President & CEO Bryant Rice (r.)
Fairfax County Public Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) Region 4 Office announced the selection of Justin Simmons as the new principal of South County Middle School, effective July 12. Before coming to South County, Simmons was the administrator at Bryant Achievement, Integrity and Maturity Program and Alternative Learning Center. He joined FCPS in 2011 as a school counselor at Glasgow Middle School, spent some time in FCPS central office support and then transitioned to a leadership path as assistant principal at Westfield High School and Holmes Middle School. Simmons holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology with a minor in African American Studies and a Master of Education in school counseling from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Fairfax County Police Department
On July 3, Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) announced the promotion of Marc Mitchell to captain and commander of the Mount Vernon Police District, replacing Frederick Chambers who was promoted to major of Patrol Bureau 1. Mitchell is a 16-year veteran of FCPD, having served as the police liaison commander, assistant commander for the Reston District and most recently as the school liaison commander. He was a founding member of the Fairfax County Communities of Trust, which has worked to build trust between law enforcement and the community. Capt. Mitchell completed the Leadership Fairfax Program and also attended George Mason University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in the administration of justice.
United Community
Effective July 1, Bryant Rice began serving as interim president and CEO at United Community, replacing Alison DeCourcey who retired at the end of June. Rice is the nonprofit’s chief operating officer and has more than two decades of experience in business management and executive leadership within the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Before joining United Community, he held executive positions at Tiffany & Co. and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia, as well as founded a consulting business. Rice holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Old Dominion University and a Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University.
