Montgomery County Hires Four New Athletic Directors

Montgomery County has added a few new athletic directors for the upcoming school year. There will be four new athletic directors in the area: Tom Rogers at Walter Johnson, Walter Hardy at Kennedy, Keith Adams at Wheaton and Dan Feher at Springbrook.

"There is a system wide hiring process for athletic directors," Jeff Sullivan, Athletics Specialist for Montgomery County Public Schools, said. "The hiring process is conducted at the local school, under the direction of the principal and in collaboration with the Interscholastic Athletics Unit."

For those of you who think that the position of athletic director is a simple one which only involves drawing up a schedule for each of your teams, you are very mistaken. It is a complex job which needs an individual who is well-rounded and extremely organized. The job also requires someone who can multitask, and be willing to work long hours, especially on weekends.

"We look for dynamic leaders who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to education-based athletics. Athletic directors must be able to build relationships, communicate effectively, demonstrate a high level of competition, and be able to grasp how athletics contributes to the overall mission in the school building," said Sullivan. "An athletic director must wear several hats- educator, coach, financial planner, landscaper, counselor, just to name a few."

The addition of the four new athletic directors means that four others stepped down in favor of retirement- Sue Amos (Walter Johnson), Ken Cudd (Kennedy), Maura Ryan (Wheaton) and Rob Wendell (Springbrook). That foursome helped Montgomery County's athletics program progress to becoming one of the best in Maryland.

"All of our retiring athletic directors made their mark on athletics in Montgomery County. Their wisdom and institutional knowledge will surely be missed," said Sullivan. "They played an integral role in administering a variety of changes and advances in our program; including health and safety initiatives, the addition of athletic trainers, and the addition of the corollary sports program."

While the four departing athletic directors will be difficult to replace, Sullivan is confident that Montgomery County has done a good job of finding four qualified individuals who will excel in their new roles.

"We are extremely excited to bring on four enthusiastic and qualified athletic directors to take over our programs at Springbrook, Walter Johnson, Kennedy, and Wheaton," said Sullivan.
July 15th, 2015By: Wick Eisenberg

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