Governance of High School Athletics Must Remain with State Associations

Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff, NFHS Executive Director

Periodically, The NFHS Voice will be presented in the form of video. This week, NFHS CEO Karissa Niehoff says that a number of state high school associations are undergoing threats from their respective state legislatures. In some cases, there are bills that would strip the state association of authority to govern high school sports and place that authority in the hands of political appointees who lack the expertise to govern education-based high school activity programs. She says state associations must continue to be governed by people who work in schools and understand the educational process. The NFHS stands in support of its 51 associations to govern high school sports and performing arts programs.

Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is in her sixth year as chief executive officer of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.