2024 Institute for Athletic Directors | Schedule

Speaker: Mike Ellson, Consultant, NIAAA & FinalForms

Leadership with legacy leads to ultimate satisfaction and fulfillment. Building relationships, developing an authentic culture, and having joy in the journey are the true measures of success in an athletic program. Everyone who works in education is an influential leader and is involved in coaching students and adults in various ways. Utilizing the power of story allows us to be a source of encouragement for heads, board members, division heads, and teachers about the unseen things that go on in the life of an athletic leader. We must focus on supporting the value of having positive relationships with parents, officials, and other individuals who make athletics fun and memorable.

Speakers: Tim Green, Athletic Consultant, Southern Teachers, and Matthew Jones, Associate Athletic Director & Head Football Coach, Kentucky Country Day School

Athletic directors can quickly forget what it is like to be a coach. This session will use the findings of a broad survey of head varsity coaches to remind ADs of what their coaches are experiencing in today’s school-based athletic world. Almost every sitting athletic director was a coach at some point. However, the responsibilities of the AD position quickly alter the point of view from when you were a coach. In this session, we will identify what coaches are experiencing in their positions today, cultivate the value of communication with coaches, and practice effective ways to maintain professional connections with your coaching staff.

Speaker: Craig Ashley, Director of Athletics, Greensboro Day School

This session will focus on identifying appropriate sports for your school, hiring of coaches/teachers, coordinating schedules, balancing academic load with athletics, and managing parent expectations in educational athletics.

Speaker: Kalon Davis, Director of Esports, Providence Day School

This session will share how integrating esports benefits both the student body and your community. Students will thrive with improved teamwork, communication skills, and strategic thinking, all while finding a sense of belonging and camaraderie. Schools with esports gain through increased student engagement, school spirit, and the potential to attract new students and scholarship opportunities. This session will provide actionable guidance on how to initiate and manage a successful esports program. Learn about different ways to compete and how esports can be a central idea for many expanded student roles and projects. Embrace the esports revolution and provide your students with an exciting pathway to success.

Speaker: Patrice Elder, Director of Athletics & Co-Curricular Programs, Oak Hill School

Join this session to learn practical strategies for recruiting, evaluating, and retaining top coaching talent while aligning with HR best practices. We’ll explore the unique challenges and opportunities within independent school athletics, provide insights to update your hiring processes and foster a culture of excellence.

Speaker: Mike Ellson, Consultant, NIAAA & FinalForms

This workshop will assist athletic program leaders with measurement criteria that focus on continuous program improvement to strengthen the infrastructure of the athletic program. The primary focus of the presentation centers around ten key categories of evaluation established by the NIAAA. The categories include philosophy, educational compatibility, mentoring, safety and risk management, access and equity, budget and fundraising, personnel and program assessment, technology, sports medicine, and innovation and creativity. The session will help create awareness of the depth of responsibility for the leadership position of an athletic director.

Speaker: Ernest Robertson, Jr., Director of Sports Enrichment Programs, Palmer Trinity School

In this session, we will delve into the dynamics of managing powerful parent relationships within the school’s athletic program. As key stakeholders in the academic and athletic journey of student-athletes, parents often bring passion, concerns, and expectations that can significantly impact the atmosphere and operations of athletic departments. Through interactive discussion, attendees will explore effective strategies for fostering constructive dialogue, setting clear expectations, and building collaborative partnerships with parents. From addressing sensitive issues to celebrating successes, this session will equip athletic directors with practical tools to navigate diverse parent personalities and situations while maintaining a positive and supportive environment for student-athletes, coaches, and the entire school community.

Facilitators: Mike Ellson, Consultant, NIAAA & FinalForms; and Patrice Elder, Director of Athletics & Co-Curricular Programs, Oak Hill School

This course will examine the training, preparation, and guiding of coaches, by athletic administrators, to understand the inherent tasks related to education-based athletics. The administrator will be better prepared to integrate new learning opportunities for coaches through the nurturing of suggested coaching knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes. Attendees will be better empowered as the athletic administrator to deal with the constant turnover and training of coaches that can demand much of the administrator’s time.