Larry Dashiell ’76, retired senior director for Portland Public Schools, will be the speaker for the 2017 Sterling College Commencement ceremony. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 13, at 9:45 a.m. on East Cooper Lawn on the Sterling College campus. The event is open to the public.

Dashiell, an alumnus of Sterling, has 40 years of experience in public schools in both teaching and administrative roles, most recently as regional administrator for the Wilson and Cleveland Cluster Schools for Portland Public Schools. In his retirement, he continues in a substitute role for principals and senior directors on emergency occasions.

After graduating from Sterling College in 1976, Dashiell continued his education at Wichita State University. Soon after, Dashiell began his classroom work as a speech and alternative education teacher at Munger Alternative Junior High School in Wichita, Kansas. Three years later, Dashiell moved west to Franklin High School in Portland, Oregon. During his time at Franklin, Dashiell would serve in the roles of teacher, speech coach, activity director and integration specialist.

Transitioning to administration full-time in 1995, Dashiell was appointed to Jefferson High School as vice principal. He would go on to serve in other roles within the Portland Public Schools before retiring in June 2016.

Dashiell holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Sterling College and a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from Wichita State University.

He is married to wife, Lisa Christian Dashiell ’77, and they have two children, Christian ’02 and Harmonee.

Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year college located in Sterling, Kansas, with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. For more information, visit www.sterling.edu.