2026-27 Middle School Committee Welcomes New Members

The NFHS is pleased to welcome two new members of the Middle School Committee: Nicole Schaefbauer, Casey Gant, and Patrick Miller

Committee members are nominated by state associations, as is the chairperson, who guides the members through their work. Each of the NFHS’s eight sections are represented on the given rules committee and each committee member serves a four-year term.

Nicole Schaefbauer, Section 4, has been on the administrative staff of the IESA for over 20 years.  She joined the staff as Assistant Executive Director in August 1999, was then named Associate Executive Director in 2001, and was named Executive Director of the Association in July 2021.  She will be the seventh individual and the first woman to serve as the organization’s Executive Director. 

As an Assistant and Associate Director, she served as the administrator for eleven of the fourteen activities offered by the Association. 

Under her leadership, these activities showed consistent growth in participation. Schaefbauer also assumed responsibility for the Officials and Athletic Directors Advisory Committees, where tremendous work has been done to elevate standards and experiences through continuous improvement.  

During her short time as the Executive Director, the Association has regained financial stability, achieved its initiative goals, and increased membership and student-athlete participation numbers. 

Schaefbauer graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where she was a member of the women’s volleyball team, and then earned her master’s Degree in Sports Management from Illinois State University. 

Casey Gant, Section 8, currently serves as Principal of Desert Hills Middle School in the Kennewick School District in Kennewick WA. Gant’s 34-year career in education began as a physical education and mathematics teacher, during which he also served as a head football coach and assistant basketball and baseball coach. Gant then spent 22 years as a high school athletic administrator and was named the 2020 Washington State Secondary School Athletic Administrators Association (WSSAAA) Athletic Director of the Year. 

In addition to his school leadership responsibilities, Gant has served on the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Executive Board for the past five years. He is the current chair of the Middle Level Committee, State Tournament Seeding Committee, and Allocation Committee. Gant is now serving as Vice President of the WIAA Executive Board Vice President and will serve as Executive Board President during the 2027–28 school year. These leadership roles have provided opportunities to help shape educational based athletics and interscholastic activities across Washington State while advocating for positive experiences and expanded opportunities for students.

Patrick Miller, NIAAA Representative, received a B.S. and M.A.T degree from Austin Peay State University and an Ed.S. in Principalship from Arkansas State University. Miller is principal at Oliver Springs (TN) Middle School in the Roane County School District. He served as an athletic administrator in Clarksville, Tennessee and Knoxville, Tennessee prior to his current position.  

Miller has been an active member of the TIAAA and NIAAA since 2017.  On the national level, he has participated as a National Faculty Instructor of LTC 714 (Dealing with Challenging Personalities), NADC workshop presenter, NIAAA Awards Committee member for Section 3, and co-author for the NIAAA U Middle School Cohort. 

At the state level, Miller has served on the TIAAA Board of Directors, Professional Development Team, State Conference Director, TIAAA state faculty instructor, TIAAA workshop presenter, and co-presenter at the Tennessee Association of Middle Schools Conference. 

The Middle School Committee Meeting will take place in Indianapolis September 28-29, 2026.