Bryon Gustafson

Bryon Gustafson, PhD

Bryon Gustafson is Assistant Professor and Director of the Master of Public Safety program at the University of Virginia. He works with a team of exceptional colleagues to deliver a robust educational experience that empowers today's public safety leaders for tomorrow's challenges.

Previously Dr. Gustafson served in a variety of public service roles. He was unanimously elected as the 50th Chief Sergeant-at-Arms by the California State Assembly for its 2017-2018 session. Prior to that he was Chief of Police at the Stockton Unified School District Police Department and Chief of Standards, Evaluation, and Research at the California Department of Justice, Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Dr. Gustafson also served as an Affiliated Faculty Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Colorado Denver where his work focused on training and policy interventions relative to the causes of fatal and career-ending law enforcement traffic collisions. The first decade of his career spanned entry-level, supervisory, and management roles in municipal policing. 

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, a public policy and administration professor. They have two cats—Sedona and Theo—and split their time between homes in West Sacramento, CA, and Sedona, AZ.