NFHS Recognizes High School Athletic Directors with 2023 Citation Awards

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) will award NFHS Citations to eight high school athletic directors December 18 in Orlando, Florida, during luncheon festivities at the 54th annual National Athletic Directors Conference sponsored jointly by the NFHS and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).

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.

The 2023 award recipients are Jen Brooks, CMAA, athletic director, Ursuline Academy, St. Louis, Missouri; Lisa Corprew, CMAA, student activities coordinator, Bayside High School, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Steve Janski, CMAA, district director of athletics, Fayetteville (Arkansas) Public Schools; Todd Livingston, CMAA, athletic administrator, South Portland (Maine) High School; Jeff Lowell, CAA, athletics and activities director, Bellevue (Washington) School District: Lauren Otero, CMAA, project manager of athletic facilities, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Tampa, Florida; Pamela Sloan, CAA, athletics and activities director, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevada; and Todd Sobrilsky, CMAA, retired athletic director, Waukesha (Wisconsin) South High School.

Following are biographical sketches on the 2023 NFHS Citation recipients:

**Jen Brooks, CMAA
**St. Louis, Missouri

Jen Brooks, CMAA, has been the athletic director at Ursuline Academy in St. Louis for 28 years. Along the way in her 30-year career in education, Brooks taught physical education, health and theology, and she coached field hockey, soccer, softball, tennis and basketball at the high school and collegiate levels.

In her time at Ursuline, Brooks has increased athletic participation significantly by adding several sports, including golf, cheer, dance, lacrosse, racquetball, esports and stunt. In 2020, Brooks founded the Global Community of Women. The purpose of the organization is to help women and their allies relate to one another and develop professional skills within the educational sports profession.

Brooks is the private school liaison for field hockey and lacrosse programs in the state of Missouri. Since 2015, she has administered state tournaments and created competition schedules for all schools in these sports. She also was an advisor and consultant in the planning and building of a new athletic complex and a softball field on campus.

Within her home state, Brooks was selected as the 2021 Missouri Athletic Director of the Year, and she was selected as the 2021 Athletic Director of the Year for the St. Louis Region. She has been a frequent presenter at 25 state conferences and has been the Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) mentor coordinator since 2019. Brooks has also helped revamp the Missouri coordinator program by adding a monthly newsletter, getting local mentors involved, and adding Zoom calls to help more people be connected.

Brooks also has been a major contributor to the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA), hosting numerous district tournaments in her 28 years at Ursuline as well as more than 50 MSHSAA postseason state tournament games. She is the first high school athletic director on the WeCOACH Coaches Council and is on the advisory board for Coaches for Cancer.

Nationally, Brooks has been an NIAAA member for 27 years and has attended numerous national conferences. She earned her CAA (Certified Athletic Administrator) in 2003 and CMAA (Certified Master Athletic Administrator) in 2007 and has completed 23 NIAAA Leadership Training Institute courses. She has been an NIAAA state delegate the past four years, has written an article for the Interscholastic Athletic Administration magazine and was the 2021 recipient of the NIAAA Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award.

Lisa Corprew, CMAA

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Lisa Corprew returned to where it all started in Virginia Beach, Virginia, when she joined Bayside High School, her alma mater, in 1995, as a teacher and coach. Twenty-eight years later, Corprew continues to serve Bayside as its student activities coordinator. She was named to the position in 1999 and has since made significant contributions to athletics and activities at the local, state and national levels.

Before becoming Bayside’s student activities coordinator, Corprew was a teacher assistant and adaptive health/physical education teacher, as well as a junior varsity girls basketball coach and softball coach. Her experience includes time served as tournament director for conference baseball, regional forensics, beach district gymnastics and district swimming.

With administration experience, Corprew began serving the state as a member of the Virginia Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (VIAAA) and Eastern Virginia Athletic Directors Association (EVADA).

Since 2005, she has been a member of the VIAAA Board of Directors, including chair of the VIAAA Membership and Technology Committees, and she became VIAAA secretary in 2012 and VIAAA president in 2015. Corprew was the EVADA secretary from 2006 to 2008 and its president from 2008 to 2010.

Corprew was recognized as the 2013 Athletic Administrator of the Year, and she received the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 2014 and the NIAAA Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award in 2018. In 2015, Corprew was named to the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Selection Committee that was formed to select the new VHSL executive director.

Corprew was a member of the NIAAA Publications Committee from 2017 to 2022 and is currently serving on the NIAAA Board of Directors. Her national contributions also include time on the NIAAA Blue Ribbon Panel in 2016 and as a three-time state delegate (2012-14). In 2016, she was a moderator for the “Is Your Role One of Leadership or Management?” workshop.

Corprew earned her bachelor’s degree in sports management from East Carolina University. In 2009, she returned to obtain her certification in athletic administration.

**Steve Janski, CMAA
**Fayetteville, Arkansas

Steve Janski, CMAA, is currently serving as district director of athletics for the Fayetteville (Arkansas) Public Schools – a position he has held for the past nine years. During this time, he has become one of the most respected athletic directors in the state and has earned his CAA and CMAA certifications from the NIAAA.

After attending Little Rock (Arkansas) Central High School, where he competed in football and track and field, Janski attended the University of Arkansas, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. Janski later earned his master’s in educational leadership from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

Under Janski’s leadership as district director of athletics since January 2014, Fayetteville High School teams have won more than 35 Arkansas Activities Association state championships, headed by three in boys golf, two in football, three in girls basketball and three in girls volleyball. In addition, more than 100 student-athletes have received scholarships.

While Fayetteville girls and boys teams have enjoyed tremendous success during Janski’s tenure, he pointed out that the school has a rich heritage dating to 1871, and he has continued the tradition of high achievement on a local, regional and national level in academics and athletics.

Within the Arkansas High School Athletic Administrators Association (AHSAAA), Janski recently completed a term as president after serving as secretary/treasurer and president-elect. He has also led the AHSAAA as co-state leadership coordinator and certified test administrator. Among his awards, Janski has been honored as AHSAAA Athletic Director of the Year on two occasions, Arkansas’ NIAAA Frank Kovaleski Professional Development Award two times and coach of the year.

Prior to joining the Fayetteville staff in 2014, Janski was a volunteer assistant and graduate assistant football coach at the University of Arkansas, followed by four years as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at East Carolina University. Janski returned to Arkansas in 2005 and served as head football coach and athletic director at Heber Springs High School for eight years before assuming his current duties at Fayetteville.

**Todd Livingston, CMAA
**South Portland, Maine

Todd Livingston, CMAA, has built a strong reputation as a well-rounded and quiet leader throughout Maine and the nation in his 20 years as an athletic administrator. He currently is the athletic administrator at his alma mater, South Portland High School, where he has worked since 2011. Prior to his return to South Portland, Livingston was the athletic director at Falmouth High School for four years and Greely Middle School for four years.

In addition to his duties at one of the largest school districts in Maine, Livingston has served the Southwestern Maine Activities Association (SMAA) in numerous roles, including as its liaison for track and field, baseball and volleyball. He also was the Association president in 2017-18.

Livingston’s service extends to the state level where he has been the assistant executive director of the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) since 2015 overseeing Leadership Training and certification. He has also served on the MIAAA Board of Directors since 2011 and been a presenter at numerous state conferences. Livingston currently serves as chair of the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) Baseball Committee and previously chaired the MPA Football Committee.

Livingston is especially well-regarded for his technology expertise and has served on the MPA Technology Committee since 2011. During that same time, he has been the webmaster and league historian for the SMAA and the Southern Maine Middle School Athletic Conference. His article “Using Technology to Make Your Job Easier” was published in the Fall 2015 issue of Interscholastic Athletic Administration (IAA) magazine.

At the national level, Livingston currently serves on the NIAAA Endowment Committee and is a co-author of Leadership Training Course (LTC) 603. He has attended 11 National Conferences and represented Maine as its state coordinator at six conferences.

For his work Livingston has received the MIAAA Special Achievement Award (three times), the Keith Lancaster Professional Development Award, and the Robert Lahey (NIAAA Past President) Athletic Administrator of the Year Award. In 2020, Livingston received the NIAAA Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award.

**Jeff Lowell, CAA
**Bellevue, Washington

As the current athletics and activities director of Bellevue (Washington) School District, Jeff Lowell has provided a template for outstanding service through his contributions at the local, state and national levels.

Prior to becoming an administrator, Lowell taught for 15 years and was a school counselor for two years. He also coached football, water polo and swimming and diving, leading his boys swimming teams to five state championships and earning six girls water polo state titles.

Lowell began his administrative career as the dean of athletics and activities as Mercer Island High School and then as assistant principal in charge of the athletic and activities program at Interlake High School. In 2014, Lowell moved to his current position at Bellevue, where he has become a leader in the King County (KingCo) Conference.

At Bellevue, Lowell oversees the district’s Title IX compliance and all-booster clubs at four high schools. Since 2002, he has been director of the KingCo Conference swim meets and has served on its board of directors and as its president.

At the state level, Lowell currently serves on the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Executive Board and has been director of the WIAA state swimming and diving meet since 2009. In addition, he has served as the Sea-King District 2 representative to the WIAA Representative Assembly, worked as a major contributor on Sea-King District Eligibility Committees, and has been a part of the WIAA Governance Committee.

In 2019, the Washington Secondary Schools Athletic Administrators Association (WSSAAA) selected Lowell to lead the state’s mentoring program, which has been recognized throughout the country as a leader in mentoring.

At the national level, Lowell has been a part of the NIAAA National Faculty since 2016 and was instrumental in the development of four legal Leadership Training Courses. He was a member of the first NIAAA Mentoring Committee and currently serves as the committee chair.

**Lauren Otero, CMAA
**Tampa, Florida

Since her first year as an athletic director in 2009, Lauren Otero, CMAA, has quickly risen to be one of the most respected athletic administrators in Florida and the nation. After five years as athletic director of Leto High School, Otero worked as the athletic director of Plant High School for seven years before joining Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) as project manager of athletic facilities in 2021.

In her current role, Otero has been a presenter at the Future Leaders Academy Assistant Principals Summer Conference, was a charter bus/travel agency bid selection committee member, a committee member of the athletics department’s Guidebook of Procedures review team, co-chair of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and developer of the HCPS mentoring program for new athletic administrators.

At the state level, Otero served as the first female president of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Board of Directors. She also served on the FHSAA Representative Assembly, was a presenter at the Compliance Seminar and served as chair of the FHSAA Operations Committee.

In addition, Otero has served on the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (FIAAA) Board of Directors since 2012. During her time on the Board, she has served on the Leadership Council Committee, chaired the Audit and Review Committee, is a LTI instructor, has been a conference presenter, and currently serves as State Awards chair.

Nationally, Otero obtained her CAA distinction in her first year of NIAAA membership and then earned her CMAA certification two years later. She is currently one of two female athletic administrators in the Florida that have earned a CMAA. She has been on the National Athletic Directors Conference (NADC) Host Committee and was serving as chair of the Host Committee for the 2020 NADC in Tampa until it had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.

Otero is a National Faculty member, served on the NIAAA Awards Committee, has been a Florida delegate and was a member of the Finance Subcommittee for the NIAAA’s 5th Strategic Plan. She currently serves as the secretary of the NIAAA Board of Directors.

Pamela Sloan, CAA Las Vegas, Nevada

Pamela Sloan, CAA, has directed athletics and activities programs for the Clark County School District (CCSD) in Las Vegas, Nevada, since 2008, a tenure that presently accounts for 15 of her 30 years as a high school administrator in Las Vegas.

A recipient of the 2014 NIAAA State Award of Merit, Sloan is a longtime National Athletic Directors Conference attendee, presenter and Nevada representative to the Delegate Assembly, and has served on the NIAAA Middle School Sports Committee since 2000.

Sloan has been a consistent presence within the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) Board of Control, previously serving as a voting member, 4A liaison and vice president before being named president this past April. She remains a member of several NIAA committees as well, including those tasked with realignment, regulations, rules and policy advisory, sports medicine, sportsmanship, membership, finance and the association’s hall of fame. She also operated as a state tournament director for six different sports from 1995 to 2008. Sloan is also a career-long member of the Nevada Athletic Directors Association, which awarded her Athletic Director of the Year for 2002-03.

In addition to her administrative duties, Sloan also created – and routinely edits – the “District Coaches Handbook” and “Student-Athlete/Parent Athletic Handbook” for CCSD, hosts professional development courses for new athletic administrators and is a member of the district’s Athletic Salary Committee.

Sloan also coached boys and girls volleyball and basketball prior to joining the CCSD office and compiled a resume that includes five coach of the year honors (two in boys volleyball, three in girls volleyball). She also received Nevada’s National Girls & Women in Sports Day Award for the 1998-99 school year, and is a member of both the Southern Nevada Football Coaches Association and Southern Nevada Officials Association Halls of Fame.

**Todd Sobrilsky, CMAA
**Waukesha, Wisconsin

Todd Sobrilsky, CMAA, served student-athletes in five different Wisconsin school districts before retiring as athletic director at Waukesha South High School in 2021. Following his retirement, Sobrilsky became commissioner of the Classic Eight Conference (CEC) and is currently in his third year at the helm.

During his final year at Waukesha South, Sobrilsky received his second State Athletic Director of the Year honor from the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association (WADA), an organization he led through the COVID-19 pandemic as president from 2020 to 2022. In addition to serving on the WADA Executive Board and on several ad hoc committees, Sobrilsky has played an integral role in the WADA’s strategic planning and Leadership Training Institute (LTI) program, for which he is still the state certification coordinator.

For the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), Sobrilsky was a member of the WIAA Sports Advisory Committee, including a term as chair from 2007 to 2009, and spent time on the WIAA Advisory Council, Officials Advisory Committee and as WADA liaison to the WIAA Board of Directors. He’s also been the site manager for the WIAA boys and girls state swimming and diving championships since 2019 and has hosted more than 50 sectional championships in his career.

A 14-time Wisconsin representative to the National Athletic Directors Conference Delegate Assembly, Sobrilsky was part of the National Presentation Faculty from 2007 to 2019, while also contributing to LTI course review and accreditation self-study and review subcommittees.

Sobrilsky has also served as president of the CEC and the Greater Metro Conference and has been a site coordinator for more than 30 events between the two leagues. He began hosting the Thanksgiving Showcase Shootout in 2014 – now the largest girls basketball event in the state – and led a $3.5 million athletic facilities improvement plan as athletic director at Brookfield Central High School.