The 55th National Athletic Directors Conference (NADC) will be held Friday through Tuesday (December 13-17) at the Austin Convention Center – the first time for the conference to be held in the state capital of Texas.
More than 3,000 high school athletic administrators, guests and exhibitors are expected to attend the 55th annual conference co-sponsored by the NFHS and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). This year’s total attendance could threaten the all-time mark set two years ago at the conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
The NADC begins Friday with several NIAAA committee meetings, as well as registration at 2:30 p.m. In addition to networking opportunities, NIAAA Leadership Training Institute (LTI) courses will provide professional development opportunities for attendees. The first of 58 LTI courses will begin at 5:30 p.m. CST Friday, with the final session of classes set for 4:00 p.m. CST on Monday, December 16.
Full conference festivities begin Saturday with registration at 8:30 a.m. CST in the Solar Atrium on Level One of the Austin Convention Center, followed by the first workshop session at 3:30 p.m. CST A total of 48 workshops will be offered in six sessions during the five-day conference covering topics including Navigating NIL Legislation, Developing and Implementing Effective Emergency Action Plans, Proactive Strategies for Partnering with Parents, Title IX Updates and Best Practices, Aligning Middle and High School Athletic Programs, Leveraging AI in Athletic Department Operations, Developing Effective Professional Development for Coaches, and Mental Health and Wellness.
The Opening General Session will be held at 5:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, December 14. In addition to opening remarks from Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS, and Phil Rison, NIAAA executive director, the opening session will feature keynote speaker Kenyon Salo, a high energy speaker and trainer in the fields of inspiration, leadership and adventure.
The Closing General Session at 1:15 p.m. CST on Tuesday, December 17, features keynote speaker Stephen Mackey, a player development coach and founder of 2Words Character Development.
The Conference Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. CST on December 16 and the Conference Banquet at 6:00 p.m. CST on December 17 will be streamed live on the NFHS Network at no cost. Following are the links for each event:
Luncheon – https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/nfhs/evt731aadf041
Banquet – https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/nfhs/evtf2608e7647
At the Conference Luncheon on Monday, December 16, eight athletic directors will be recognized with NFHS Citations for their contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels.
The 2024 award recipients are Andee Bouwhuis, CMAA, athletic director, Deseret Peak High School, Tooele, Utah; Fran Martin, CMAA, retired assistant executive director, Kansas State High School Activities Association, Topeka, Kansas; Scott Morris, CMAA, director of student activities, Fluvanna County High School, Palmyra, Virginia; Mike Mossbrucker, CMAA, athletic director, Mooresville (Indiana) High School; Ted Reynolds, CAA, athletic director, Canyon Ridge High School, Twin Falls, Idaho; Todd Sampson, CMAA, athletic director, Edward Little High School, Auburn, Maine; Joe Sanfilippo, CMAA, executive director, Georgia Athletic Directors Association, Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia; and Andre Walker, CMAA, executive director of athletics, Houston (Texas) Independent School District.
Ten athletic administrators have earned NIAAA Distinguished Service Awards, which will be presented during the Conference Banquet on Tuesday, December 17. This year’s recipients include Xavier Antheaume, CMAA, district director of athletics, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevada; Emily Barkley, CMAA, athletic director, Union Public Schools, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Chad Berger, CMAA, athletic director, Napoleon (North Dakota) High School; Lisa Gingras, CMAA, district athletic director, Nashua (New Hampshire) School District; Nate Larsen, CMAA, athletic director, O’Neill (Nebraska) High School; Patti McCormack, CMAA, director of athletics, Lowell (Indiana) Senior High School; Rebecca Moe, CAA, director of athletics, University Preparatory School, Seattle, Washington; Joe Roberts, CMAA, Princeton High School, Cincinnati, Ohio; Meg Seng, CMAA, retired athletic director, Greenhills School, Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Jake Von Scherrer, CMAA, retired director of athletics, The Maclay School, Tallahassee, Florida.
Three other individuals will receive NIAAA awards during Tuesday’s banquet. Mike McGurk, CMAA, activities director, Jefferson City (Missouri) High School, is the recipient of the NIAAA Frank Kovaleski Professional Development Award; the late Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA, former athletic director of Fremont (Nebraska) High School, is the recipient of the Thomas E. Frederick Award of Excellence; and Andy Chiles, CMAA, athletic director, Winter Park High School, Orlando, Florida, is the recipient of the NIAAA Award of Merit.
The induction of eight athletic directors into the NIAAA Hall of Fame will conclude the banquet and conference. Those being recognized this year include Dan Armstrong, CAA, retired athletic director, Northwestern High School, Kokomo, Indiana; Dr. Mike Blackburn, CMAA, retired NIAAA executive director, Noblesville, Indiana; Dr. Ted D’Alessio, CMAA, retired athletic director, Millburn (New Jersey) High School; Mike Ellson, CMAA, executive director, Tennessee Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, Nashville, Tennessee; Michael Hart, CMAA, retired athletic director, Salesianum School, Wilmington, Delaware; Marc Haught, executive director, Kansas Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, Wichita, Kansas; Tommy Marshall, CMAA, retired director of athletics, The Marist School, Atlanta, Georgia; and Annette Scogin, CMAA, former assistant district athletic director, Dallas (Texas) Independent School District, and district athletic director, Springdale (Arkansas) Public Schools.
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