Mount Vernon Nazarene University alumnus Denver J. Fowler recently received recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Currently the assistant principal at Gahanna, Ohio, Middle School South, Fowler was selected 2015 State Assistant Principle of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Administrators (NASSP) and the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators. This followed his nomination as the NASSP’s 2015 National Assistant Principle of the Year. Fowler was also personally recognized by Senator Rob Portman and by Congresswoman Joyce Beatty on Capitol Hill.

“It is such an honor," Fowler said. "Honestly, I credit all of the stakeholders that I have the opportunity to serve on a daily basis including students, staff, parents, and community members.”

In addition to receiving the congressional recognition during his visit to Washington, Fowler also spent two days on Capitol Hill advocating for education and school leadership. He met with Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Congressman Pat Tiberi, Senator Rob Portman, Senator Sherrod Brown, Congressman Gregg Harper, Senator Thad Cochran, Senator Roger Wicker, and several members of their Educational Policy Teams.

“It was a great opportunity for me to tell our collective story as it relates to the many bills that I was advocating for, including the Better Educator Support and Training Act, Enhancing Education Through Technology Act, and School Principal and Recruitment Act," Fowler said. "I strongly believe that, as a practitioner, I can offer a detailed account of how these bills relate to and will help America’s schools and how they will better prepare our students to be college and career ready.”

Fowler has more than a decade of full-time experience in primary and secondary educational settings as a teacher, coach, technology coordinator, athletic director, and assistant principal, as well as six years of part-time experience in higher education as an adjunct professor. He currently teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in teacher education, educational leadership and educational technology as an adjunct professor and lecturer at The Ohio State University, Bowling Green State University, and the University of West Florida. He also serves on several professional committees and volunteers his time coaching youth soccer. Fowler holds a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, a master’s degree from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and a doctoral degree from Ohio University, and he participated in a School Leadership Institute at Harvard University in 2012.

In August, Fowler will be transitioning into a full-time role in higher education as professor of educational leadership at the University of Mississippi. In this role, he will be preparing future school leaders including principals, superintendents, and professors. Fowler currently resides with his wife, Anna, and three children, Haley, Beckett, and Teagan, in New Albany, Ohio.

--Mount Vernon Nazarene University