Joining the business administration this year is David Garrison, the new assistant business administrator. His role includes helping head business administrator Teresa O’Brian with reports, budgeting, grant reporting and, at times, facilities.
In addition to Del Val, Garrison also works at Alexandria Township School as the head business administrator.
Prior to joining Del Val, Garrison was involved in corporate finance as he worked in a bank. After choosing that career for eight years, Garrison decided it was time for a more gratifying change.
“I wanted something more fulfilling, something that I could really feel proud of,” Garrison said. “I started looking around and talked with a family friend who was a business administrator and decided to give it a try.”
Garrison started working as an assistant business manager in 2024 and joined Del Val at the start of this school year. Aside from the close proximity, Garrison’s decision to work at Del Val also came from his prior experience with O’Brian.
“Teresa was my mentor when I first started going into NJASBO and working as a business administrator. When I saw there was a need I decided to come down and help,” said Garrison.
Garrison works alongside the rest of the administration to plan and organize the school’s budget. His main goal is to ensure everything is functioning well throughout the school year.
“We touch everything that’s not curriculum,” Garrison said. “We navigate anything from a construction project to changing our benefits plans.”
These tasks come with their own sets of challenges.
“Meeting deadlines, dealing with budget cuts and different things that are going on around the state are challenges we face at times,” Garrison said. “Trying to prioritize things accordingly so that you can meet all the goals and timelines while staying financially stable in the district so you can keep providing a good facility and good education for everybody.”
Although the work and effort may not be visibly seen at first, Garrison believes ending results are one of the most rewarding parts of his job.
“Just seeing how everything impacts students, staff and the community is great,” Garrison said. “People may not always know your name or what you do but you can see how people’s lives are impacted.”
Outside of the school day, Garrison enjoys coaching high school sports such as football.
“You’ll probably find me on a football field because I love coaching, I’ve been coaching for 11 years,” Garrison said. “I currently coach at a private school called Pennington School and I’ve been there for four years.”
Along with this, Garrison likes to travel with his family, both nationally and internationally.
“I’ve been to 37 countries and 37 states, so an even number on both,” Garrison said. “Istanbul, Turkey is one of my favorite places I’ve visited, it’s really unique and just an awesome place.”
Garrison is excited to work alongside the administration throughout the school year.
“[I look forward to] the community, students and staff, everyone is on the same team,” Garrison said. “Everybody has the same common goals and wants to achieve the same things so when we all come together it’s super easy to work through everything.”
