PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Tom Robinson, CHSAA’s associate commissioner, and Dick Katte, the legendary Denver Christian basketball coach, were each honored with NFHS Citation awards on Saturday.

Robinson, entering his 18th year in the CHSAA office and fifth as associate commissioner, was the Section 6 recipient and was recognized for his service to a state association. He oversees officials, golf and sportsmanship, among other duties, for CHSAA.

Robinson is the fifth CHSAA administrator to receive an NFHS Citation, following former Sharon Wilch (1997), Gene Bunnelle (2000), Bob Ottewill (2005) and Bert Borgmann (2010).

Katte retired from coaching in 2012, but has been very active with the Colorado High School Coaches Association ever since. He currently serves as CHSAA’s liaison to the coaches association. Katte was honored for his service to coaching.

He is the first from Colorado to ever receive an NFHS Citation for coaching service.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — CHSAA’s Board of Directors and administrative staff all arrived here this week to take part in the NFHS Summer Meeting, the 98th annual gathering.

Each will take part in meetings, roundtables, luncheons and networking events over the course of the next few days, and some of them will be featured speakers or presenters.

A local highlight will come on Saturday when associate commissioner Tom Robinson and legendary Denver Christian basketball coach Dick Katte each are awarded NFHS Citations.

This trip also marks the official end of a career for CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico, who retires on June 30. Rhonda Blanford-Green, CHSAA’s new commissioner, will begin her role on July 1. Both are on the trip.

It also is the first official duties for newly-hired assistant commissioner Ernie Derrera.

In addition, July 1 marks the transition in Board presidents from Eddie Hartnett to Jim Lucas.

The conference concludes on Sunday evening with the induction of the new members to the National High School Hall of Fame.

Paul Angelico, our commissioner over the past seven school years, usually arrived in the office around 6 a.m. or so. Occasionally he would come in even earlier.

He’s an early-morning person. Emphasis on early. I can picture him, ballcap atop his head, sitting at a table outside a coffee shop in Denver, or Vail, or Steamboat, or Boston, or Oklahoma City, with his coffee in front of him — no lid — as he reads something in the early-morning light.

He’s always the first one to arrive wherever we’re going. “Let’s setup at 7:15,” he would say about the Legislative Council meetings. And some of us would show up at 7:15 a.m. The setup would be done. He got there at 6:45.

So of course this habit extended to typical office days. But he also arrived so early in part because that was the only time he could really find time to answer emails, or check his voicemail, or really just work on things he needed to. When everyone else shuffled in, usually one of their first stops was his office. Sometimes just to chat, or to go over a waiver, or brainstorm about a committee meeting.

His office had a perpetual open door. You could walk in there, and he’d put his pencil down from whatever he was working on — he had this thing with rulers and underlining — and he would give you his full attention.

“You could always go to him for help on questions,” said longtime assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann, who worked with Paul for all 27 of the years he’s been at CHSAA.

I can’t even begin to remember the number of times I’ve walked into Paul’s office to talk politics, the world, or ask him how he could possibly have parked his Jeep so terribly. I thoroughly enjoyed each moment like that, and others like them at lunch, or at state venues.

Look, he’s not dying. I know those moments will continue, they just won’t be in his office anymore.

But that’s the point: We’re going to miss him in that office when his retirement becomes official this weekend. Us, as a CHSAA staff. But also us, as a CHSAA membership. He’s done a lot in his career.

The first time I met Paul was in March 2011. I was about a year into a job at the Denver Post covering high school sports. I did a short Q&A with him about television rights of the state championships, and other things.

I got to know him better over the course of the next two years, and eventually saw an opportunity at CHSAA to start a site that would promote high school activities.

Paul and I went to lunch in the Northfield area at a time when Northfield was literally being built. There was no one else in the restaurant.

I pitched him on the idea that would later become CHSAANow.com, and Paul was interested, but honest: “I need to see what our Board thinks,” he said. I thought perhaps we would revisit the idea at a later time, but then a few months later at the Legislative Council meeting in April, he said that Harry Bull, then the Board president, gave a green light.

Paul offered me a job — this job — and I accepted.

It remains one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. And not because I had to leave the newspaper — no, I did enjoy that — but working for Paul at CHSAA has been so thoroughly rewarding and challenging.

I’ve told him this already, but I never really believed in the idea of mentorship when I was younger. I do now. I seek his guidance daily, for all kinds of things. And that will never stop.

His influence has pushed Colorado to the forefront nationally.

Things like the InsideOut Initiative, now growing nationally, started here because of the conditions he created.

He welcomed the You Can Play! initiative, which sought more inclusion for the LGBT+ community in high school activities, even though some schools opposed it. He did that because it helped kids.

“That was huge, and what that meant for inclusion, and what it meant for that community was huge,” said Tom Robinson, who has been Paul’s associate commissioner since 2014. “He left an indelible mark on our organization with gender equity and those kinds of things. And it’s not that he was doing every single thing, but he was certainly in the loop and empowering it.”

At the Equity Committee meeting in January, outgoing Board president Eddie Hartnett told Paul, “We are seen as one of the more progressive states, and it was because of your leadership that that happened.”

He’s part of a legacy of associate commissioners who became commissioners. That will continue when Rhonda Blanford-Green takes over his seat on July 1.

“Paul has taught me — through his words and his actions — that leadership success starts with honesty, integrity, and being frank, but also that it needs to be combined with compassion and common sense,” Blanford-Green said. “Over the years, I have applied that in my leadership roles, and it has served me well.

“He’s retiring,” she added, “but he has a designated seat in my office. I think I can lure him in with food.”

His 40 years of education experience shone through in the decisions he made (though, he still can’t spell). He would often start sentences with, “Well, when I was in a school …”

A former gymnastics coach, and gymnast himself, he understood the influence coaches can have on the life of a high school student.

Paul had this thing about him in meetings, big or otherwise, where he would always ask questions to see what others thought before he offered his own opinions.

“One of the greatest things about him is he doesn’t micromanage,” said assistant commissioner Jenn-Roberts Uhlig. “He allows you to fulfill a vision, allows you to make the decision to better your sports, and really encourages you to take things to a different level.”

He was the first to back us is every situation.

“He empowered us,” said assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens.

He also expected excellence out of each of us.

“He offered guidance, history, and the opportunity for his staff to succeed,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bud Ozzello. “The high standards he placed on the staff and the Association has been a benchmark for changing the focus of our communities to honor the student by teaching life lessons through interscholastic competition.”

Sometimes, his temper would flare up, his face would turn red. But that was part of his nature, something we also grew to love. At times when this happened, we would laugh, and his face would only grow more red.

“I love that he could get fired up and tell you what he thought, but he also made sure that that did not ruin the relationship between you and him,” Borgmann said.

No one cared more about his employees. He’d always ask after our families, tell us to bring our kids into the office so he could spend the whole day playing with them. And he loved to share his family with us.

In the summers, we have an event where our families and the families of Board members eat dinner together. Paul would always sneak off with the kids to go buy them ice cream. I would say he will make a great grandparent one day, but he basically already is one to our kids.

“When I had just taken the job, I sold my Prius, so I needed a car for a month or so before I started work,” Brookens said. “And he just let me use his car for as long as I needed. He’s always thinking about other people before himself.”

He loved spending time talking to everyone in the break room. In fact, one of our executive assistants, Whitney Webermeier, has a grand plan to name it after him, despite his protests.

Jenn moved into a new house last week. Guess who showed up to help?

After state championship events, Paul was the one who would take the volunteers out to dinner.

He treated all of CHSAA’s activities the same. He was at every state championship event, music gala, every student leadership camp.

“He gave the same attention to a state wrestling champion as he did to a competitor in speech and debate or student leadership or music,” Ozzello said.

When I first was hired at CHSAA, I spent the first year or so strictly working from home. I regret that, because it means I didn’t get to spend more time in the office absorbing what I could from Paul.

Thank you, Paul, for pushing CHSAA to the forefront nationally. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your guidance.

Thank you for your friendship.

AURORA — Paul Angelico is in his final weeks as the Commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association.

It will mark the end of a 40-year career in education, and a 27-year career at CHSAA. The past seven have been spent in the organization’s highest role, overseeing the office that administers high school activities for the entire state of Colorado.

On July 1, Rhonda Blanford-Green will officially become the CHSAA’s ninth commissioner, though she and Angelico will overlap during the NFHS Summer Meeting in Providence. In addition to working at CHSAA from 1996-2012, Blanford-Green was Angelico’s Associate Commissioner for two years.

We caught up with Angelico and asked him to reflect on his career, and ponder the future of high school activities.

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Question: Do you remember your first day as a Commissioner?

Paul Angelico: (Laughs.) Huh. No, I don’t think I do. I don’t think I do. It wasn’t any big deal. You know, it was summer. Bill left right after his retirement dinner. I didn’t even move into this office for a week. I just felt weird about it.

Q: Why?

Angelico: Because he was still the Commissioner. It was still June. He had moved out, but I didn’t move in right away. I didn’t feel like that was my place.

Q: Do you remember the first big decision you had to make?

Angelico: Yes, I do. It was a girl that went from Chaparral to Highlands Ranch, girls basketball. The dad walked in here, a very nice man, and told me her story, and then asked, “What are you going to do?” I said, “I’m going to do what they pay me to do. I’m going to follow the rules.” And he said, “OK.”

And we had a good working relationship. Even though we went to court, I always respected that he knew why, that it wasn’t vindictive, it was what I had to do, and he was doing what he had to do.

So, yeah, right out of the chute, we were in court.

Q: Did it feel different, in that there was no one above you to change your decision?

Angelico: What struck me immediately was that all I had as backup was this book (the CHSAA bylaws). I’ve got to follow what this book says, because if I don’t, I don’t have justification for what I do. It became very apparent that it’s not an optional thing. Right out of the chute, it was like, “The book is my only security blanket.”

Q: What was the adjustment like, going from Associate to Commissioner?

Angelico: I sort of had an advantage because as soon as Bill became Commissioner, two things happened: First, he had a surgery, so I spent like two weeks doing waivers, and then he became president of the (NFHS), and he was gone a ton that first year, so I was doing a lot of that stuff. It wasn’t all too new, because of that.

Q: Did you have a grand plan?

Angelico: I had one goal, and I told it to the Legislative Council, that we were going to go back to talking about kids’ human growth, not about their stats and how good they are, and their accomplishments athletically. It seemed like I kept hearing more and more conversations all around these stats, this kid’s done this thing, done that thing.

Nobody was talking about their human development, and that’s what we’re about. I said, “Before I leave, we’re going to go back to talking about kids, not about athletic prowess.”

Q: Is the culmination of that the InsideOut Coaching Initiative?

Angelico: It’s You Can Play!, the InsideOut Initiative, it’s Positive Coaching Alliance, it’s our partnership with the coaches association, partnerships with CADA, videos that go to school boards. It’s all of that.

And I can’t tell you that that was some master plan. It was not. As opportunities showed themselves, we took advantage of them.

Q: Do you have any favorite memories from your time as Commissioner? Or maybe what you enjoyed the most?

Angelico: Enjoyed?! (Laughs.)

Obviously, any state championship you’re at. It’s a mixed bag, because anything could go wrong and the whole thing could blow up, so you kind of have your breath held. But watching the culmination of all the work is always good.

Some of my favorite days were at the All-School Summit, or the coaches’ clinics, or that event down in Douglas County. We got to talk about kids and what they were doing, and how they are growing, and what our sports and activities are doing for them. Any opportunity to tell people about what great things kids can do when given the opportunity, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.

Q: It seems like it’s a job that doesn’t shut off.

Angelico: It never does. It never goes away.

Q: And how do you juggle that?

Angelico: Humor. Truly. Well, two things for me: Humor, and — nobody dies in what we do. We’re not doctors where if we make a mistake, it’s the end of the world.

I never was let down when I got people together to solve a problem. No problem was ever insurmountable when we approached it as a group, whether it was the eight administrators in this office, or some committee of coaches and ADs. Every time I’ve felt the pressure of, “We’ll never get this fixed, this is hopeless,” it’d be like, “No, if you put enough good people in a room, we’ll come out of there with a solution.” And it always worked.

Q: Did you aspire to a job like this early in your career, when you were a teacher at Air Academy?

Angelico: Never. Never. I’d left Air Academy kicking and screaming, thinking, “Well, what good am I if I’m not working hands-on with kids?” Honestly. And it’s only now that I’m starting to realize that some of the things we do will affect a lot of kids directly.

I had someone write the other day, saying, “Thanks for insisting that we hire coaches that will be role models for kids, because they might not have them anywhere else.” And you don’t think of those things at the time. That was a meaningful sentiment.

Q: You’ve told me the story before about how you were hired by Ray Plutko, and then …

Angelico: Yeah, and then the never day, he had resigned. Well, it wasn’t the next day. The day after I was named officially at the Legislative Council, the radio story came out on KOA that Ray Plutko has resigned. That was also the day after the Board at District 20 had accepted my resignation (from Air Academy).

I was going, “Well, I wonder how long this will last.” Because Bob [Ottewill, the Commissioner who succeeded Plutko] didn’t have to keep me. He could have hired his own person. And I called him and said, “Bob, let me know if you still want me here, or if you want somebody else.” He did keep me on, and then it was his decision. I hadn’t signed a contract, or done anything like that.

Q: What were those early years like at CHSAA?

Angelico: Those were the most stressful. I was coming out of a school where you have a lot of latitude around policy, because you have hands-on with kids, and if the policy says, A+B=C, you can work with kids and make A+C=D. But here you can’t.

What occurred to me early, early on was that you can’t do that in a state this big. Because if you make this exception for Kid A, how do you not make it for Kid B, and if you do that, then you really don’t have that rule anymore. And it didn’t take long for that to sink in.

So the pressure of making sure what you said was making sure was right — that was a good year, year-and-a-half of making sure, “Am I right?” A decision carried a lot more weight than it did at a school.

Q: How have high school activities changed since then?

Angelico: At its core, nothing. But what we do, and how we do things, certainly has. We do many more activities. Kids have lots more options. Kids can do more than one thing at a time, kids can be in a club and in a high school.

None of those things could happen back then, it was all very regimented, and then state law changed a lot of that. You were stuck at your school when you were enrolled, and if your school didn’t have a program, you lost out, and you just didn’t participate.

At that time, kids adapted to programs. Now programs are starting to adapt to what kids want. For example, girls wrestling.

Q: In the last couple years, while we may not have added sports, classifications have really grown.

Angelico: Yeah. The number of classifications, how we’re classifying. I think that’s going to even go further, to get some kind of equality, so when you step on the field, there are actually similar schools that are hopefully somewhat alike.

Q: Is that the biggest challenge, you think, that high school activities are facing?

Angelico: I think right now, the biggest thing is how do we combine community rivalries that are healthy with playing the right schools to make for good competition. Schools can be five miles apart but a million miles apart in their abilities.

In today’s world, socioeconomics can determine the quality of programs. How much time are kids spending in the summer paying for camps, or year-round, paying for clubs?

A school of 300 in the Denver area, where kids go to clubs, is not the same as a school of 300 by Bethune. Because they don’t have the same access to clubs and outside training.

Q: What has the process of your retirement been like to go through?

Angelico: Painful. It’s been way long, way overblown. I think we’ve drug it out to where the staff and the schools are ready to move on. As they should be. It’s like, “OK, already. Let’s move.”

And I think with Rhonda coming on, her energy and her enthusiasm — I think if we have the fundamentals and the basics down and we’re going to continue to keep those as our center, she’ll be able to do a lot of other things that I was not prepared to do.

Q: You had worked closely with her before. What are the good things she’s going to do with the Association?

Angelico: For starters, she’ll know our basics. She’s on the same page about the fundamentals, about why we have high school sports, as opposed to club sports. And she understands the value of both.

She was an elite, All-American athlete. So she gets the elite level of that, and yet she understands that we’re here for the average kid. I think that’s an unusual combination today. And I think that’s her best quality. She’ll understand what we have to do for all kids, not just get pressured by the elite level.

Q: You’ve said that you will kind of take a step back after you retire for a year or so, and not really be around a lot of CHSAA events. Why do you think that’s important to do?

Angelico: Rhonda needs to have full latitude to do what she wants, and she doesn’t need anybody saying, “Why are you doing that?” She needs to try things on her own, succeed on her own, fail on her own — not that I think she’ll fail — but what happens next year needs to be hers.

Now, does she need to know pitfalls she might not know about, or politics? Sure. But she doesn’t need anybody telling her, “Here’s what you need to do.” She needs to look at whatever it is she wants to accomplish, and work towards those ends.

Q: What do you think you’ll miss?

Angelico: The people. The people I work with inside the office, and the people I work with outside the office.

I’m not going to miss court, I’m not going to miss lobbying, I’m not going to miss accounting. I’m not going to miss all that stuff — although I’m glad that I did it, because I feel like I did it the way I wanted it done, those things — but I’ll miss not seeing everyone everyday. That’s really the bottom line.

Q: If you look back, what are you most proud of over the course of your career?

Angelico: I knew you were going to ask that.

What I hope — and you don’t know if you’ve done this — is that we’ve reestablished that rules are good, parameters for kids are good, and the higher we raise our bar, the more kids will respond. They’ll respond to however high we want to make our standards, and in today’s society, we’re shy to do that.

I think member schools are feeling like without what we do here, everything isn’t as educationally valid as it should be. Having high standards and demanding high standards and expectations — and high integrity — is good for kids, even though it’s harder for kids. It will make them better adults. That’s all we’re here for. So if we want a mediocre society, we’ll have mediocre standards.

That could be it. Tomorrow I might have a different answer.

INDIANAPOLIS — Fifteen leaders in high school activity programs across the country, including Colorado’s Tom Robinson and Dick Katte, have been selected to receive National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Citations.

An award designed to honor individuals who have made contributions to the NFHS, state high school associations, athletic director and coaching professions, the officiating avocation and fine arts/performing arts programs, the NFHS Citation is one of the most highly regarded achievements in high school athletics and performing arts.

The 2017 NFHS Citation recipients will receive their awards July 1 at the 98th annual NFHS Summer Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island.  

Eight of the 15 award winners represent NFHS-member state high school associations. Four Citation recipients represent NFHS professional organizations for officials, coaches, music leaders and speech/debate/theatre directors, and three others are being honored for their contributions to the NFHS.

The eight state association recipients are Dick Neal, retired executive director of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association; Bob Goldring, associate commissioner for operations of the Ohio High School Athletic Association; Karen DeHart, associate commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association; Tom Shafranski, assistant director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association; Stacy Schroeder, associate executive director of the Missouri State High School Activities Association; Tom Robinson, associate commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association; Dr. Harold Slemmer, retiring executive director of the Arizona Interscholastic Association; and Tom Welter, former executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association.

Other Citation recipients are Sharon Hughes, Official Citation recipient, volleyball official, New Jersey; Dick Katte, Coach Citation recipient, retired boys basketball coach at Denver (Colorado) Christian High School; Neil Hendriksen, Music Citation recipient, director of choral activities at Woods Cross (Utah) High School; J. Scott Baker, Speech/Debate/Theatre Citation recipient, former speech and debate coach, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, Houston, Texas; David Hoch, retired athletic director, contributor to High School Today magazine, Maryland; Lee Green, J.D., attorney, professor emeritus at Baker University, Kansas, contributor to High School Today magazine; Steffen Parker, music director and educator, contributor to High School Today magazine, Vermont.

Following is biographical information on the 2017 NFHS Citation recipients:

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Tom Robinson, Colorado (Section 6)

Tom Robinson has served on the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) staff for the past 17 years – first as assistant commissioner for 13 years and the past four years as associate commissioner.

Robinson’s responsibilities at the CHSAA include golf and officials, and he has developed a sporting behavior program titled “Cheer For Your Team and Not Against Your Opponents,” which has earned recognition from its member schools.

Prior to joining the CHSAA in 2000, Robinson enjoyed a 30-year teaching career at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado. He taught all levels of mathematics at the high school and was a member of the school’s Board of Trustees for nine years after he stopped teaching. While teaching at Regis, he was the varsity basketball coach for 10 years, the varsity golf coach for two years and an assistant coach for football, basketball and track.

During most of his time at Regis, Robinson was also a college football official for the Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences. He currently serves as replay official in the CFO West, which serves the Big 12, Mountain West and Southland conferences. He was awarded the Outstanding Service Award from the MWC upon his retirement. In addition to his 25 years as a college football official, Robinson officiated high school football for six years.

Nationally, Robinson is a member of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and previously served on the Basketball Rules Committee. He also served on the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) Board of Directors.

Robinson was named the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame’s Outstanding College Official in 2008. He has also been awarded the John Adams Officiating Award, sponsored jointly by the CHSAA, Mountain West and Western Athletic conferences.

Robinson graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in 1969 where he participated in basketball, football and track. He received his master’s degree from the University of Denver in 1982.

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Dick Katte, Colorado (NFHS Coaches Association)

Dick Katte retired as the boys basketball coach at Denver Christian High School following the 2011-12 season after 52 years at the school and 48 years as the basketball coach.

In addition to being the boys basketball coach, Katte also served time as the high school’s track, baseball and football coach. He worked primarily as a math teacher during his career but also spent time as the school’s athletic director and assistant principal.

Katte’s basketball teams won eight state championships, and he currently ranks as the state’s winningest basketball coach with a record of 876-229, putting him at 26th in the nation. He has also been awarded numerous Coach of the Year honors by the Colorado High School Coaches Association (CHSCA).

Katte was honored numerous times during his time at Denver Christian High School including having the gymnasium dedicated and named after him in 1998. He has been inducted into the CHSCA Hall of Fame, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) Hall of Fame, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and the National High School Hall of Fame. In 2000, Katte received the Dave Sanders Award, named after the teacher-coach who died in the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.

In 2014, Katte co-authored the book OVER TIME: Coach Katte on Basketball and Life. He also currently volunteers at Denver Christian High School and in the inner city tutoring students in math.

As an active member of the CHSCA, Katte serves as its liaison to the CHSAA. In this role, he attends all Association meetings and provides a coach’s perspective on CHSAA matters. In the mid-1960s, Katte was instrumental in bringing private and independent schools into the CHSAA membership.

Katte received his bachelor’s degree from Calvin College and holds master’s degrees from both Indiana University and Utah State University.

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Dick Neal, Massachusetts (Section 1)

Dick Neal retired in 2013 after 34 years as executive director of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). At the time of his retirement, Neal was the longest-tenured active director of a state high school association.

Neal joined the MIAA in 1977 as the first full-time assistant executive director. He was appointed associate executive director in 1978 and executive director in 1979. He also served as chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association (MSSAA) for 34 years.

During his tenure as MIAA executive director, Neal was responsible for initiating the effort to increase leadership of both women and minorities in high school sports in Massachusetts. He also wrote and recommended the amendment that created the MIAA Standing Committee on Sportsmanship, Integrity and Ethics. In 1995, he oversaw the redefined MSSAA, which combined the existing MSSAA and the Massachusetts Middle Level School Administrators Association.

Prior to leading the MIAA, Neal was an educator at Pope John XXIII Central High School in Everett, Massachusetts, for 11 years. He worked as athletic director, acting assistant principal and principal, guidance counselor, coach and math, science and physical education teacher. For a year during that time, he was also president of the Catholic High School Leagues under the Archdiocese of Boston.

At the national level, Neal served a term on the NFHS Executive Committee (now Board of Directors) from 1989 to 1992 and was vice president during his final year. He also served as a member of the NFHS Strategic Planning Committee, director of the NFHS Fund Administrators Association and served on the NFHS Constitutional Revision Committee, NFHS Telecommunications Committee and NFHS Appeals Committee. Neal also served a term on the board of directors for the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel.

Neal was honored by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) with the Distinguished Service Award and by the Massachusetts Secondary School Athletic Directors Association with its Distinguished Service Award in 2001. In 1995, he was inducted into the Pope John XXIII Central High School Hall of Fame.

Neal graduated from Providence College in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree. In 1971, he received his master’s degree in education from Framingham State College.

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Bob Goldring, Ohio (Section 2)

Bob Goldring is in his 22nd year with the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). He began his tenure in 1995 as the OHSAA director of information services before being promoted to assistant commissioner in 2005. In 2008, Goldring was promoted to his current position of associate commissioner for operations.

Prior to joining the OHSAA staff, Goldring was the sports information director and assistant public relations director at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, for a year before working as the assistant sports information director and athletic publications coordinator at Purdue University for six years. He then served as assistant sports information director at Ohio State University for five years. He also taught a graduate course on sports public relations at Ohio State. His publications at those three institutions won 22 national and 16 district awards from the College Sports Information Directors of America.

In his current role, Goldring serves as the office’s chief liaison with the membership in the absence of the commissioner, plans Board of Directors meetings and assists in the areas of media and public relations, marketing and promotions, publications and budget planning. He has been involved in several OHSAA committees including sportsmanship, ethics and integrity; Division I football tournament; cross country tournament; association outreach; and media advisory. He also served as acting commissioner for a three-month period in 2016.

During his time as OHSAA’s director of information services, Goldring was responsible for publishing both the OHSAA Working with the Media Handbook for athletic directors and tournament managers and the Public Relations Guide for Coaches. He also created the OHSAA Media Advisory Committee and spearheaded upgrades to OHSAA publications and the association’s website.

Goldring graduated from Ohio State in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and received his master’s degree in sport management in 1982 from Ohio State.

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Karen DeHart, North Carolina (Section 3)

Karen DeHart has served the students in North Carolina for the past 22 years with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). As NCHSAA associate commissioner, she leads a development team in the areas of marketing, fundraising and scholarships.

Within her current role and department at the NCHSAA, DeHart is responsible for oversight and coordination of marketing and branding, business development related to partnerships and vendors, merchandising and licensing. She continues to lead fundraising efforts and other programming related to the NCHSAA Endowment Fund and Hall of Fame Endowment. She also assists the commissioner with annual budget and investments management. Under her leadership, the development and marketing team has grown the endowment fund and corporate partnership revenues exponentially. DeHart coordinated the NCHSAA’s 100-year celebration in 2013-14.

Prior to joining the NCHSAA staff, DeHart worked in the corporate fitness sector at IBM and went on to teach elementary school health and physical education at Parrott Academy in Kinston, North Carolina. At Parrott, she also coached the junior varsity and varsity girls high school volleyball and basketball teams.

An active participant on the national level, DeHart has presented on various topics related to sponsorships, ticket sales, investments and marketing at numerous NFHS Summer Meetings. Under DeHart’s leadership, the NCHSAA hosted a national Development Summit in 1997 and a Development Roundtable in 2001 with state association marketing and development staff members from around the country in attendance.

DeHart graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. She received her master’s degree in exercise and sports science in 1995 also from UNC-Chapel Hill. While in graduate school, she served as an assistant track and field coach at Chapel Hill High School.

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Tom Shafranski, Wisconsin (Section 4)

Tom Shafranski joined the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) in 2002, continuing a long career serving the students of Wisconsin. His current responsibilities as assistant director include the administration of golf, swimming and diving, ice hockey and tennis. He also oversees the WIAA Scholar-Athlete program.

On the national level, Shafranski served on the NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Committee in 2003-04 and 2008-14 and is currently serving his fourth term. He was chair of the committee from 2011 to 2014. As chairman, he led a movement of safety in high school hockey, addressing regulations about concussions, checking from behind and other potential injury actions. He also developed the NFHS Off-Ice Officials and Officials Mechanics Guide. In addition to ice hockey, he also served on the NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules Committee from 2005 to 2009.

Before his current role with the WIAA, Shafranski taught and served at numerous Wisconsin high schools, bringing administrative experience to this job. He began his teaching career at West Bend East High School, teaching business education classes and serving as assistant principal. During this time, he was also the head track and field coach for two years after serving as an assistant for six years. Before coming to the WIAA, he served as the athletic director at Stevens Point Area High School for one year.

During his years as a coach and athletic administrator, Shafranski assisted with seven WIAA state championships. He also was a coach education instructor and was a mentor for new athletic directors through the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.

Shafranski was honored as the 2009 Wisconsin High School Golf Coaches Association Friend of Golf recipient. He has severed as an on-course marshal for numerous PGA golf tournaments including the Ryder Cup, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open.

Shafranski graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in business education. He received his master’s degree in education from National Louis University (Illinois) in 1986. In 1991, he also received an administrative leadership certificate in school administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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Stacy Schroeder, Missouri (Section 5)

For the past 23 years, Stacy Schroeder has served the student-athletes of Missouri for the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA).

Currently as the MSHSAA associate executive director, Schroeder administers boys and girls swimming and diving and the state scholar bowl championships. She also works with eligibility issues, interpreting the MSHSAA bylaws and handbook, and the Association’s Appeals Committee and the Board of Directors.

In addition to swimming and diving, Schroeder previously directed the sports of volleyball and tennis, and has assisted with track and field, football and basketball.

At the national level, Schroeder has previously served on the NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee, the NFHS Strategic Planning Committee, the NFHS National Records Committee and the Swimming and Diving Rules Committee. She is currently a member of the NCAA Eligibility Center High School Advisory Group.

Before joining the MSHSAA staff in 1994, Schroeder worked at the NCAA in the Championships and Events department. She assisted with the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, Division I Women’s Basketball Championship and the National Youth Sports Program. She was also an assistant to the Division I Women’s Basketball Selection Committee.

Schroeder earned a bachelor’s degree in 1991 from Truman State University where she was an All-American high jumper. She was inducted into the Truman State University Hall of Fame in 2003. She also earned a master’s degree in sports management from the University of Missouri in 1993 after being awarded an NCAA Women’s Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship. While at the University of Missouri, she served as a graduate assistant for the athletic department.

 

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Dr. Harold Slemmer, Arizona (Section 7)

Dr. Harold Slemmer is retiring this summer after 18 years as executive director of the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA), and is the longest-serving director in the history of the AIA.

Among his accomplishments, Slemmer partnered with Phoenix’s Barrow Neurological Institute to help the AIA introduce Brainbook – the nation’s first and most comprehensive concussion program for high school students. He also started “Pursuing Victory with Honor,” a sportsmanship and character development program that led to his appointment to the Arizona’s Governor’s Commission on Character Education. Slemmer subsequently delivered speeches on character and ethics in more than 20 states.

Under Slemmer’s recommendation, guidelines for Unified Sports were added to the AIA’s bylaws and promoted throughout the state. He also helped in the creation and continuing development of two AIA websites that promote AIA activities and act as an administrative online hub for member schools.

At the national level, Slemmer served on the NFHS Board of Directors from 2010 to 2014, culminating with a term as the NFHS Board of Directors president. He was also a member of the 2002-2005 NFHS Strategic Planning Committee.

Prior to becoming AIA’s executive director, Slemmer was a teacher at Tempe (Arizona) Union High School District before being tapped to open Mountain Pointe High School. While at Mountain Pointe, the school was recognized by Business Week for Instructional Innovation in Character Education and was named one of America’s Best Schools by Redbook Magazine. He served as Mountain Pointe’s principal for nine years before joining the AIA.

During his teaching career, Slemmer was awarded the Tempe Diablo Administrative Excellence Award, the Distinguished Arizonan Award and North Central Accreditation’s Circle of Excellence.

A Pennsylvania native, Slemmer played football at Arizona State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1975, a master’s degree in physical education and athletic administration in 1976 and a doctorate in education leadership in 1986.

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Tom Welter, Oregon (Section 8)

Tom Welter retired in 2016 after 21 years with the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), including the final 15 years as executive director.

During his time as executive director, Welter was responsible for establishing the OSAA Foundation and the Oregon Athletic Officials Association and transitioning the OSAA from four to six classifications.

As assistant executive director, Welter worked extensively with rule interpretations and eligibility appeals and coordinated the state championships for football, track and field, cross country, basketball, wrestling and baseball. Before he was hired by the OSAA, he was an athletic director advisor to the executive board and the delegate assembly.

Welter began his education career teaching math and science in South Australia in 1971. When he returned to the United States in 1974, he began teaching mathematics at Central Catholic High School and coaching football, basketball and baseball. He also served as the school’s athletic director for 18 years and vice principal and dean of students for 15 years.

At the national level, Welter was a member of the NFHS Board of Directors from 2012 to 2016 and served as president of the board during his final year. He served on several NFHS committees including sanctioning, football rules and strategic planning. He also made presentations at the National Athletic Directors Conference and at NFHS Summer Meeting and Legal Meeting.

After graduating from Regis High School in Stayton, Oregon, Welter earned his bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University in 1971 and a master’s degree in mathematics education in 1975.

Welter has received several awards in his career including Oregon Athletic Directors Association (OADA) Athletic Director of the Year in 1993, the OADA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Distinguished Service Award in 1996. He was also inducted into the Central Catholic High School Hall of Fame in 2005.

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Sharon Hughes, New Jersey (NFHS Officials Association)

Sharon Hughes has been a key contributor to high school volleyball in New Jersey since she began her officiating career in 1976. During her time as an NFHS official, she has officiated many New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state tournament matches, including several state finals matches.

Since 1994, Hughes has been director of the NJSIAA state volleyball tournament, as well as the state’s rules interpreter. She coordinates all state tournament matches and serves as tournament assignor. She has also been a member of the NJSIAA Volleyball Committee since 1982.

During her time as a volleyball official, Hughes was a member of the NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee from 2001 to 2006 and an NJSIAA Executive Committee member during that same time. She also served terms on the NJSIAA volleyball, basketball and softball tournament committees. Hughes has also been a presenter at the NFHS volleyball rules interpreter meeting.

Hughes has won numerous awards during her career including the NJSIAA Service Award, NJSIAA Volleyball Legend Contribution Award, National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) State Award of Merit and NIAAA Distinguished Service Award.

Hughes currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Big North Conference and has been the conference’s executive director since 2014. She also works as the conference’s volleyball assignor.

Hughes was athletic administrator for the Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, New Jersey, and was awarded Passaic County’s Athletic Director of the Year Award in both 2000 and 2004. She served on the Passaic County Coaches Association Executive Committee and was chairperson of the boys and girls volleyball and basketball tournaments. Hughes received her Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA) status from the NIAAA in 1999.

 

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Neil Hendriksen, Utah (NFHS Music Association)

Neil Hendriksen continues to be a force within the school music programs in the state of Utah, having worked as director of choral activities at Woods Cross (Utah) High School for the past 31 years. During his time there, the Woods Cross madrigals and concert choir have earned Superior ratings at both the regional and state levels. The Woods Cross High School Music Department has won awards at national competitions every year it has entered.

Since 1990, Hendriksen has worked as an adjunct professor of music at the University of Utah and for three years during that time at Weber State University. He also mentors and supervises 36 student teachers across Utah for Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, Utah State University and Weber State University.

Hendriksen has been involved as an adjudicator and clinician at numerous festivals throughout Utah and Idaho, and he has been a part of the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra since 1984.

Hendriksen was a Music Advisory Committee member for the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) for five years before becoming the committee’s chair in 2012. He has also been a member of the NFHS Music Committee since 2013.

During his time with the Utah Music Educators Association (UMEA), Hendriksen has served as a member of its choral committee, choral vice president and six years as the association president. In 2006, he was awarded the UMEA Superior Accomplishment Award for all his service within the association.

In addition to the UMEA award, Hendriksen has also been awarded with numerous other accolades during his career including the UHSAA Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Music Education and the UHSAA Music Educator of the Year Award.

Hendriksen graduated from the University of Utah in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in music and music education. From 1990 to 2000, he completed numerous postgraduate courses at both the University of Utah and the University of Wyoming.

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J. Scott Baker, Texas (NFHS Speech, Debate and Theatre Association)

J. Scott Baker became one of the top speech and debate coaches in Texas during his 15 years (2000-15) in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD) in Houston. In 2015, Baker moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, and is currently a professor at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.

After two years at Jersey Village High School in the CFISD, Baker was a speech/debate and English teacher at Cypress Ridge High School for eight years. At Cypress Ridge, he started the speech and debate team and coached four state champions and 20 National Forensic League qualifiers.

From 2010 to 2015 at Cypress Creek High School, Baker revived a dormant speech program and coached five state qualifiers and 14 national qualifiers.

During his time in the CFISD, Baker coached 162 students to the Texas Forensic Association (TFA) state qualifications, including 21 state finalists. In addition to the TFA qualifiers, Baker coached 11 UIL district champions, 19 regional qualifiers and five state qualifiers at Cypress Creek. Baker created and was co-author of an original Professional Communication curriculum. The high school also hosted four TFA state qualifying tournaments and one TFA state tournament during Baker’s tenure.

During his career in Texas, Baker was awarded numerous accolades and recognitions from speech and debate associations. In 2010, he was named a Two Diamond Coach in the National Forensic League. He was recognized as a Three Diamond Coach by the National Speech and Debate Association in 2015. For six years, he was secretary of the TFA.

Baker graduated from Texas State University in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and English. In 2011, he completed his master’s degree in education from Texas A&M University.

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David Hoch, Maryland

David Hoch has been of the key contributors to the success of High School Today magazine since starting as a charter member of the Publications Committee in 2007. Not only has he written more than 80 articles for the magazine in its 10 years of existence, he works tirelessly to find others around the country to write articles for the publication.

Prior to joining the High School Today Publications Committee, Hoch wrote many articles during his time on the NFHS Coaches’ Quarterly Publications Committee. He also has been a regular contributor to the Interscholastic Athletic Administration magazine, formerly published by the NFHS and now published by the NIAAA. 

Now retired after serving as a high school athletic director for 16 years at two Maryland schools, Hoch has had more than 525 articles published in professional magazines and journals, as well as two textbook chapters. He also is the author of a book entitled Blueprint for Better Coaching.    

In addition, Hoch has given 79 workshop presentations in 19 states around the country, including 12 presentations at the National Athletic Directors Conference co-sponsored by the NFHS and NIAAA.

Hoch was athletic director at Eastern Technical High School (nine years) and Loch Raven High School (seven years) in Baltimore County, Maryland, after 24 years as a basketball coach at the high school and collegiate levels. He also coached soccer, tennis, and track and field.

Hoch was founder and executive director of the Maryland State Coaches Association for 16 years, and he was president of the Maryland State Athletic Directors Association from 2003 to 2005.

At the national level, Hoch has been a delegate to the NIAAA Delegate Assembly, a member of the NIAAA Awards Committee for five years and has been heavily involved in the NIAAA Leadership Training Institute. He has been a member of the national faculty for Leadership Training Course 723 for five years, and is the state LTC instructor for nine courses. 

Hoch received the NIAAA Distinguished Service Award in 2004, the NFHS Citation for athletic directors in 2011 and the NIAAA Frank Kovaleski Professional Development Award in 2013, and he was inducted into the Maryland State Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame in 2013.

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Lee Green J.D., Kansas

Lee Green, J.D., an attorney and professor emeritus at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, is one of the leading sports law experts in the United States. He recently retired as a professor at Baker University, where for 30 years he taught courses in sports law, constitutional law and business law.

In addition to his 30-year tenure at Baker, Green worked for the global accounting firm of Peat, Marwick & Mitchell (now KPMG) and the 700-attorney national law firm of Blackwell, Sanders, Matheny, Weary & Lombardi (now Husch Blackwell). He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and a juris doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law.

Green began his association with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) in the late 1980s. He assisted with the development of four NIAAA Leadership Training Institute classes, and he regularly presents sports law seminars and workshops at the local, state and national levels, including the annual Sports Law Year in Review at the National Athletic Directors Conference.

As a charter member of the Publications Committee since 2007, Green has served as the legal columnist with the NFHS’ national magazine, High School Today. In addition to a feature on a legal topic of current interest, he writes a Legal Brief for each issue and altogether has authored more than 120 articles in the 10 years of the publication’s existence.

Green is the author of three books on sports law – Covering All The Bases: The Athletic Administrator & Coach’s Guide to Sports Law & Risk Management; A Level Playing Field: The Athletic Administrator & Coach’s Guide to Title IX & Gender Equity in Sports; and Sexual Harassment In Schools & Athletic Programs: A Guide to Policy Development & Prevention.

In addition to seminars and workshops for the NFHS and NIAAA, Green has been a presenter on behalf of other state high school associations, as well as the NAIA and NCAA, and he serves as a sports law consultant to universities and schools districts across the country. 

 Green retired from full-time teaching in May of last year to devote more time to sports law consulting and writing. During his 30 years at Baker, he was selected five times by the student body as the “Outstanding Professor” on campus. He also received the Distinguished Faculty Award and the Koepke Award for Distinguished Teaching. He also served 10 years as the university’s compliance officer for athletics.

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Steffen Parker, Vermont

Steffen Parker, a longtime educator and music director in Vermont, has been the performing arts voice of High School Today magazine since its inception in 2007. He has written more than 40 articles in the 10 years of the magazine’s existence and has been instrumental in encouraging other individuals to write music and speech and debate articles.

Parker has been involved with the NFHS Music Association since 1991, serving multiple terms on the NFHS Music Committee and as associate editor of the NFHS Music Journal.

After graduating from Plattsburgh State University (New York) in 1976, Parker was a music educator at Mount Assumption Institute in Plattsburgh for five years before moving to Vermont. From 1983 to 2003, was a music educator in the Colchester (Vermont) School District. He directed the middle school and high school bands and jazz bands. He then served in a similar role at Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington, Vermont, from 2005 to 2007.

Parker has been involved extensively in music education in other areas throughout his career. For almost 30 years he has been festival director for the Vermont All-State Music Festival and has been state manager for the Vermont Music Educators Association. He also has been festival director for the Champlain Valley District Festival since 1984 and festival director of the New England Music Festival Association since 1991.

Since 1997, Parker has been owner-operator of Music Festival Software Solutions, supporting computer systems, writing application software, managing online databases and designing websites. He also has been production engineer for WCAX-TV in Vermont since 1985, water quality coordinator for the Town of Colchester (Vermont) since 2004 and been involved in the Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks company for the past 17 years.

Parker was the first Vermont recipient of the NFHS Music Association Outstanding Music Educator Award, and he also was the first to receive the Marc Hull Outstanding Arts Educator Award presented by the Vermont Alliance for Arts Education.

AURORA — Ernie Derrera, currently the athletic director at Frederick High School, has been hired to join CHSAA’s staff as an assistant commissioner.

Incoming CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green confirmed the hire on Friday morning.

“Today was a win-win for educationally-based high school activities in Colorado,” she said. “Ernie brings his experiences from rural schools, metro schools, along with a committed effort to non-traditional student-activities to our Association. We are fortunate to be able add him to our office.

“We had several quality and outstanding candidates for the position who had great depth of knowledge, experience and passion for high school activities. The selection committee was impressed with each candidate.”

Derrera will join the staff officially on July 1. His specific duties are still to be determined.

“Truthfully, I’m incredibly humbled,” Derrera said. “When I got into being an AD, and I decided that athletic administration was going to be my pursuit professionally, the two end-goals I had were either a CHSAA job, or a district AD job. It’s something that’s been a goal of mine for a long time.”

Since 2015, Derrera has been the athletic director at Frederick. Previously, he was the AD, a teacher and cross country coach at Thompson Valley (2000-05; 2009-15), and a teacher and wrestling coach at Roosevelt (2005-09). He recently retired as Master Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy, a role he held since 1987.

Derrera is no stranger to the CHSAA office.

At various times, Derrera has helped to pilot the InsideOut Coaching Initiative, has served as the chair of CHSAA’s wrestling committee, been a site director at softball, hosted regional tournaments, and also took part in the You Can Play! public service announcement. He has also served on the swimming and diving committee.

Last summer, he attended CHSAA’s student leadership conference to learn more about the activity even though Frederick didn’t have any students attending. He was quickly enlisted to help with aspects of the conference.

“Ernie, through his exemplary leadership and experiences, will provide a diverse perspective that is representative of the students and communities that we serve,” Blanford-Green said. “It is a connection that the Association has needed for some time, and to provide that piece of puzzle strengthens our CHSAA mission and vision.”

As the wrestling committee chair, he helped to spearhead an initiative promoting girls wrestling, and actually hosted the first-ever girls-only wrestling tournament at Frederick. Derrera also helped develop a new type of classification system that equally balanced the classes. That model has since been implemented across all individual sports.

“He was a catalyst in starting girls wrestling,” Blanford-Green said. “What Colorado started is becoming a national model. Other state associations are seeking his expertise as they look to start a grassroots effort with their own girls wrestling initiatives.”

“There definitely is a familiarity,” Derrera said of his new role at CHSAA. “I have been fortunate enough to be asked by some of the assistant commissioners and trusted by the office to be involved in a lot of different levels, and a lot of different aspects in what the Association does, in both the athletic and the activity arenas.

“I know that there’s going to be a steep learning curve, as with any new position, but I am confident that the CHSAA staff and administrators will assist me in this transition with the activities I’m given.”

The CHSAA office has an opening for an assistant commissioner on its staff.

For more information, and to apply for the job, visit CHSAANow.com/apply.