NFHS Recognizes Eight High School Athletic Directors with 2020 Citation Awards

Eight individuals who have made outstanding contributions to interscholastic athletics have been named recipients of 2020 NFHS Citations by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

These individuals were honored last week during the virtual National Athletic Directors Conference (NADC) conducted jointly by the NFHS and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), but will not receive their awards until the 2021 in-person NADC next December in Denver, Colorado.

NFHS Citations are presented annually to outstanding athletic directors in recognition of contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels. State associations nominate athletic directors for NFHS Citations, and the NFHS Board of Directors approves recipients.

This year’s award winners are Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA, retired athletic director, Fremont, Nebraska; Tol Gropp, CMAA, athletic director, Timberline High School, Boise, Idaho; Matt Hensley, CMAA, assistant principal of extracurricular activities, Mahomet-Seymour High School; Mahomet, Illinois; Paige Hershey, CMAA, executive director of athletics, Spring Branch Independent School District, Houston, Texas; Mike Hunter, CMAA, athletic director, Provo (Utah) High School; Joe Kimling, CAA, athletic director, Madeira City Schools, Cincinnati, Ohio; Susan Robbins, CMAA, athletic director, Gray New Gloucester High School, Gray, Maine; and Russell Wambles, CMAA, former athletic director, Apopka, Florida.

Following are biographical sketches on this year’s NFHS Citation recipients:

**Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA
**Fremont, Nebraska

Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA, retired in 2017 from his position as activities director/assistant principal at Fremont (Nebraska) High School, where he had served since 2005. It culminated a 39-year career in education, including 24 years as an athletic administrator.

Fitzgerald’s first teaching and coaching position was at Central Heights School District in Richmond, Kansas, from 1978 to 1981. Prior to his position at Fremont, Fitzgerald was an instructor, coach, and activities director at Louisville (Nebraska) Public Schools, serving that district for 24 years. While at Louisville, he coached volleyball, boys basketball and girls track and field. He led the girls track and field team to a Nebraska State Activities Association (NSAA) Class C state runner-up finish in 1984 and 1985. Fitzgerald was also the activities coordinator for the East Central Nebraska Conference for 10 years during this time.

At the state level, Fitzgerald has been actively involved in NSAA, serving as a delegate to the NSAA Representative Assembly 12 times. He served as vice-chair of the District II Managing Committee, which helps to manage NSAA District II meetings and affairs, from 2012 through 2017. During his time at Fremont and Louisville, Fitzgerald hosted numerous NSAA sub-district and district events and also served on the Nebraska Coaches Association Board from 2002 to 2007 and was a Girls Track Advisory Board member from 1984 to 1990.

Fitzgerald served on the Nebraska State Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NSIAAA) Board as the District II Representative for three years. He later was elected to a four-year term on the NSIAAA Executive Board, serving as President in 2012-13. He recently served as the NSIAAA Retired Members Coordinator and Mentoring Coordinator for new athletic directors from 2017 to 2020.

For the NIAAA, Fitzgerald completed his CAA Certification in 2003 and his CMAA Certification in 2009. He joined the NIAAA Publications Committee in 2014 and was appointed to vice-chair in 2017. In January 2021, he will be take the reins as chair of the same committee.

Fitzgerald’s recognitions include selection as the NSIAAA District II Athletic Director of the Year in 2013, and the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 2013. In 2014 and 2018, he was recognized as the Nebraska Athletic Director of the Year by the NSIAAA. In 2016, he was honored with the NIAAA Distinguished Service Award at the National Conference in Nashville.

**Tol Gropp, CMAA
**Boise, Idaho

Tol Gropp, CMAA, has been an advocate for student-athletes in Idaho during his 17 years as athletic director of Timberline High School in Boise. Among his achievements, Gropp has assisted the school’s booster club, which has raised more than $720,000 since 2004.

Dating to 2006, Gropp has served as the Southern Idaho Conference (SIC) tournament director for 39 local tournaments and 12 state tournaments, including the state football tournament and state girls basketball tournament four and eight times, respectively. In 2010 and 2014, Gropp was recognized as the SIC Athletic Director of the Year, and from 2012 to 2014, he was the conference president.

Within the Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA), Gropp served a term on the IHSAA Board from 2014 to 2019, and he has been heavily involved with football scheduling for the association.

Gropp has been a member of the Idaho Athletic Administrators Association (IAAA) Board since 2013 and is currently serving as IAAA President for four years. He taught Leadership Training Institute (LTI) 501 at the 2013 and 2017 state conference. In 2014 and again in 2018, the IAAA named Gropp its 5A Athletic Director of the Year.

Nationally, Gropp has attended the National Athletic Directors Conference for 14 years, and he serves the NIAAA in multiple ways. Since 2013, Gropp has been a member of the NIAAA Certification Committee, including co-vice chair since 2017. In 2014, he took on the task of proctoring the CAA exam at the national conference. He also was a member of the planning committee for the Fifth NIAAA Strategic Plan in 2019.

Among his awards are the 2014 NIAAA State Award of Merit, 2015 State Distinguished Service Award, 2017 State Citation and 2018 IAAA State Athletic Director of the Year.

**Matt Hensley, CMAA
**Mahomet, Illinois

Matt Hensley, CMAA, has earned a sterling reputation among his fellow athletic directors in Illinois and the nation while serving as the athletic director at Effingham St. Anthony High School and as the assistant principal of extracurricular activities at Mahomet-Seymour High School. During his 15-year tenure at Mahomet, Hensley has been a leader in his region, hosting nearly 80 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state series events and serving as a state finals tournament official in baseball and wrestling.

Hensley also has been a member of several IHSA committees, including the IHSA sportsmanship advisory committee, athletic directors advisory committee, all-state academic team selection committee, equity advisory committee and cross country advisory committee.

An involved member of the Illinois Athletic Directors Association (IADA), Hensley has served the IADA as a District Representative, a Division Liaison, and as a state conference co-chair. Currently serving on the IADA Executive Board as the NIAAA Liaison, Hensley is also a past-president of the IADA.

Hensley’s involvement in the NIAAA is also extensive. From 2012 to 2018, he served on the NIAAA Publications Committee, before serving as the Section 4 representative on the NIAAA Board of Directors. He has also been Illinois representative to the NIAAA Delegate Assembly and been a presenter and moderator for numerous workshops at the National Conference.

Among his honors, Hensley was the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Class AA Administrator of the Year in 2010. In the same year earned the NIAAA State Award of Merit and was selected as the IADA Division Athletic Director of the Year in 2012 and again in 2018.

**Paige Hershey, CMAA
**Houston, Texas

For more than 30 years, Paige Hershey, CMAA, has served the students of Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston, Texas. She began her education career as a teacher and coach in 1984 at the middle school level before moving to Spring Woods High School a year later.

In 2001, Hershey assumed the position of director of athletics for Spring Branch and was promoted to the district’s executive director of athletics in 2010. During her 19 years in athletic administration, she has promoted her vision of transforming lives through the power of sport.

In addition to athletic programs, Hershey helps oversee the district’s facility grounds, facility rentals, event management and concessions. She also is integral in collaborating with the community’s club and youth sport programs. Her leadership was also instrumental in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. With much of the area flooded and several families of students and staff experiencing loss, Hershey led an effort to host emergency teams and provided outstanding servant leadership throughout the community.

Hershey has also become a leader at the state level with the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association (THSADA). From 2013 to 2018, she served on the THSADA Professional Development Committee and has been involved in the THSADA State Conference on numerous occasions as a panelist.

For the Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL), Hershey is currently the chair of the UIL 17-AAAAAA Executive Committee and has hosted UIL state tournament events at Spring Branch on three occasions.

Hershey’s involvement at the national level includes a stint on the NIAAA Publications Committee from 2004 to 2008. Since 2007, she served as a Leadership Training Institute instructor and faculty member, including two years a vice chair of LTC 511.

Hershey received the NIAAA Distinguished Service Award in 2009 and, in 2013, was honored with the John Kelly Distinguished Service Award by the Greater Houston Football Coaches Association.

**Mike Hunter, CAA
**Provo, Utah

In just 10 years as an athletic administrator, Mike Hunter, CAA, has risen to be one of the most respected athletic directors in Utah, where he is in his second year as the athletic director of Provo High School.

After coaching cross country, track and field, and girls basketball for 14 years at Mountain View High School in Orem, Hunter took over as athletic director at Timpview High School in Provo, in 2013. While at Timpview, he created an athletic and activities student council, updated the department’s coaches manual, and helped create a district-student athlete code of conduct.

Upon starting his career in athletic administration, Hunter quickly became involved with the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (UIAAA). His contributions to the UIAAA include serving as a subcommittee chair of the Third Strategic Plan and being a member of the UIAAA Leadership Training Faculty since 2016.

Hunter has also served on the UIAAA Athletic Director Executive Council and was UIAAA President in 2017-18. He also organizes the UIAAA Cross Country Meet each year as a benefit for its scholarship program. He continues to teach LTI courses and present workshops at the UIAAA State Conference, and has been asked to help serve as a mentor for the lager classifications in the newly instituted statewide mentorship program.

From 2016 to 2019, Hunter was Utah’s representative on the NIAAA Delegate Assembly. He also currently serves as vice chair on the NIAAA Credentials Committee and is a member of the NIAAA Mentoring Ad Hoc Committee since 2018.

Hunter was Utah’s NIAAA State Award of Merit winner in 2019.

**Joe Kimling, CMAA
**Madeira, Ohio

As athletic director of Madeira City Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, Joe Kimling has compiled an impressive resume in his 20 years as an athletic administrator. During his tenure at Madeira, he has overseen the construction of new facilities for football, softball, baseball and a fitness center. Kimling also added programs for boys and girls golf and boys and girls lacrosse. In 2013, Kimling also implemented a new school culture initiative that was adopted by the district.

Always a resource for his fellow administrators, Kimling has taken a leadership role in the Southwest Ohio Athletic Directors Association (SWOADA) and the Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (OIAAA).

Kimling has served on the SWOADA Executive Board since 2009, which included a term as president of the organization from 2011 to 2013. He also serves as the SWOADA Spring Workshop Chair. Kimling was named SWOADA Athletic Director of the Year in 2014 and 2018, and received the Jim Rolfes Professional Development Award in 2016.

At the state level, Kimling has worked with the OIAAA in numerous ways, including currently serving on its Board of Directors and as chair of the OIAAA Endowment Committee. He also previously was the OIAAA Secretary and chair of the OIAAA Conference Committee.

Kimling became an NIAAA member in 2000 and has since contributed to the organization as a conference workshop presenter and moderator, CAA test administrator and a national LTC faculty member. He also was a member of the Operations subcommittee

Among his honors, Kimling was the OIAAA Southwest Athletic Director of the Year in 2014 and 2019, earned the OIAAA State Award of Merit in 2014 and the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 2018.

**Susan Robbins, CMAA
**Gray, Maine

Susan Robbins, CMAA, is a 23-year veteran of high school athletic administration in the state of Maine, currently in her second year as the athletic director of Gray New Gloucester High School.

Prior to 2019, Robbins spent 14 years at Yarmouth High School and Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth. During that time, she established herself as one of the state’s leaders in athletic administration and more than 50 Yarmouth teams claimed state championships and numerous sportsmanship awards.

Prior to joining the Yarmouth staff, Robbins was an athletic administrator at Poland (Maine) Regional High School for five years and the MacDuffie School in Springfield, Massachusetts, for two years. Robbins also coached field hockey and softball at both schools.

At the state level, Robbins has held leadership roles for both the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) and the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA). As assistant director of the MIAAA from 2007 to 2015, Robbins was the Leadership Training Institute Coordinator, Awards Committee chair and Certification Committee chair. She continues to serve as a Leadership Training instructor at the state level and National level.

Robbins was the chair of the MPA Field Hockey Committee and the site director for the 2009, 2011 and 2013 MPA Field Hockey State Championships. She has served on the MPA Volleyball, Football and Technology Committees, and was site director for the 2015 Outdoor Track State Championships.

In 2019, Robbins was a member of the MIAAA Strategic Planning Committee and this year, served on the MIAAA 50th Anniversary Planning Committee.

Robbins has authored several articles for the Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Publication, National Federations’ High School Today, and Athletic Management magazine as well as a quarterly contributor to the MIAAA magazine during her tenure as a director of the MIAAA.

Robbins has made significant contributions to athletic administration at the national level as well. She served on the NIAAA Awards Committee from 2011 to 2019, including the last two years as committee chair, and serves on the Leadership Training Institute National Faculty and is an instructor for Leadership Training Course 710. Robbins co-authored the Leadership Training Course 726 Student Leadership Development in 2017. Robbins was a member of the NIAAA Professional Development Task Force in 2013 and has attended every National Athletic Directors Conference since 2001. She was a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel at the 2004 conference in New Orleans.

Among her awards, Robbins was the recipient of the Maine Principals’ Association Unsung Heroine in Maine Sports Award and Keith Lancaster Professional Development Award in 2010, the Gerry Durgin Leadership Award and the NIAAA Distinguished Service Award in 2012, the MIAAA Robert Lahey Athletic Director of the Year in 2013, and the NIAAA Thomas E. Frederick Award of Excellence in 2016. Perhaps her greatest accomplishment is being a supporting and loving mother of three children; daughter Chloe and twin sons Alden and Benjamin.

**Russell Wambles, CMAA
**Apopka, Florida

Russell Wambles, CMAA, has been an athletic administrator in Florida for 24 years and most recently was the associate director of Human Kinetics Coach Education. In his role at Human Kinetics, Wambles worked closely with state high school associations to implement coaching courses for certifying coaches and furthering their professional development.

Wambles served two stints as athletic director at Apopka High School, from 2017-18, and 2005-11. Between his stints at Apopka, he served as athletic director at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, from 2011-17. Previously, Wambles was athletic director and teacher at Tavares High School, from 1998-2005, where he also coached varsity baseball.

Throughout his career, Wambles has been active at the state level serving athletic administrators and coaches. Wambles currently serves on the board of directors of the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (FIAAA), where he was president in 2013 and earned the Athletic Director of the Year Award in 2016 and the Meritorious Service Award in 2015.

Wambles also served on the board of the directors for the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) from 2008 to 2014. He also served one term on each the FHSAA Athletic Director Advisory Committee and the FHSAA Representative Assembly. Wambles was a member of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Board of Directors for four years as well.

At the national level, Wambles has served as Florida’s representative to the NIAAA Delegate Assembly five times and is on the national faculty for LTI 503. He is a member of the National Initiative and Assistance Network of the NIAAA, has also attended 13 national conferences and served on the conference host committee three times.

In 2018, Wambles earned the NIAAA State Award of Merit. He also led Apopka High School to earn the Fred Rozelle State Sportsmanship Award in 2010 and 2019.