Brandi Debrah Joins ACHS as an Academy Principal

Alexandria City High School (ACHS) welcomes Brandi (Barnes) Debrah as an academy principal with a focus on the General Studies Academy, effective Aug. 4, 2025. In this role, she assists the campus principal with supervising and coordinating project-based learning experiences for students and staff, providing instructional leadership for academic content areas and ACHS academies, developing community partnerships that support the ACHS academies, as well as managing the campus’s day-to-day operations.

"We are thrilled to welcome Brandi Barnes to our administrative team. With a strong background in instructional leadership, student support and equity-driven practices, Ms. Barnes brings a wealth of experience that will elevate our work across The Academies at Alexandria City. Her dedication to empowering students and staff aligns perfectly with our vision for excellence,” said Interim Executive Principal Lance Harrell. 

Debrah has a rich and diverse background in education and is passionate about fostering inclusive, supportive and high-achieving school environments. She displayed collaborative and strategic leadership in serving Fairfax County Public Schools as assistant principal at Herndon High School. She was instrumental in driving educational improvement by fostering a shared vision, aligning the school’s mission and programs with the school division's strategic plan. As an instructional leader of the English, career and technical education (CTE) and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) departments–consisting of 60 teachers–a 97% teacher retention rate for the 2024-25 school year was realized.

While serving as dean of students at Arlington Public School’s Wakefield High School, Debrah developed and maintained a positive, inclusive school climate. She was also instrumental in implementing strategic attendance plans, resulting in a 2% decrease in chronic absenteeism between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.

Debrah was the Special Education Department chair at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Virginia. She also served as the director of athletics and instructional leadership team and the special education chair at Cheyenne High School in Clark County in Nevada.

Before beginning her career in education, Debrah played professional basketball in Zurich, Switzerland. Her experience on the court taught her invaluable lessons about teamwork, discipline and perseverance—principles she has carried into her work as an educational leader. Debrah’s passion for education is a family legacy as she comes from a family of educators. Her work is consistently focused on creating systems that build strong, positive relationships between students, teachers and families.

Debrah earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication arts from Villanova University. She also has a Master of Arts in Education with a focus on Special Education from Notre Dame of Maryland University and a Master of Arts in educational administration and leadership from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.