Dr. Bruce A. Fillman began his educational career after earning a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Initially teaching in Richmond City Public Schools, he left for a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon returning, he joined Chesterfield County Public Schools as a teacher at Bon Air Elementary.
Dr. Fillman served more than 14 years in the United States Army Reserves. As a logistics officer, he worked in various positions to include working within an Army transportation school, serving as a movement control officer, and serving as a company commander of an Inland Cargo Transfer Company.
Upon completing a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), he served as an assistant principal at Swift Creek Elementary for 4 years and as a principal at J.G. Hening Elementary School for 6 years. Concurrently, he pursued a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Justice at VCU, culminating with a dissertation analyzing the cost-effectiveness of early literacy growth within public pre-k programs. In 2021, Dr. Fillman opened the Chesterfield Virtual School, Virginia’s first K-8 public virtual school, a school focused on pushing the boundaries of education beyond the four walls of a traditional school setting.
In 2024 he was named principal of Chesterfield County’s newest and largest middle school, set to open in August 2025. As the principal of Deep Creek Middle School, and as a husband and proud father of two children who attend Chesterfield County Public Schools, Dr. Fillman is dedicated to enhancing education through community engagement and by challenging students to become kind, informed, and contributing members of society.
Bruce_Fillman@ccpsnet.net