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OHSAA Staff

Doug Ute
Executive Director Since September 8, 2020
 
Doug Ute was announced as the Executive Director of the Ohio High School Athletic Association on September 8, 2020. Ute, a former coach, teacher, athletic administrator, principal and superintendent, is the OHSAA’s 11th leader in its 113-year history.
 
Ute takes over at the OHSAA post after spending the last 20 years as a school superintendent, including nine years at Marion Elgin Local Schools and the last 11 years at Newark City Schools. He also coached and taught at Noble Local Schools in eastern Ohio and Buckeye Central High School, which is near his hometown of Bellville in north central Ohio.
 
In the spring of 2020, Ute announced he was stepping down from his post at Newark to become Deputy Director of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA), which is the state’s superintendent’s association. Instead of serving Ohio schools at BASA, he will do so from the OHSAA.
 
“I have always thought like a former coach and athletic director, and the OHSAA is where I want to be,” said Ute. “I am humbled to be selected by the Board of Directors for this position and join a great team at the OHSAA office. We are all aware of the uncertainties that are before us due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I know that together we can and will be stronger together. My focus has always been on helping students become better people, and athletics are such an important part in that. That is true now more than ever. I can’t wait to get started and help lead our member schools.”
 
At Newark, Ute helped create the Social, Emotional and Academic Success (SEAS) program that includes counselors, teachers and staff to discuss ways to help students succeed in life. While at Newark, a district of 6,500 students, he expanded the free lunch program, made free breakfast available to all students, and put a strong emphasis on student and family social and emotional health. The school district responded with its highest-ever graduation rate and a renewed sense of pride in the city and school district.
 
“We are excited to have someone lead our organization with Doug's experience, both in working with student-athletes and with his experience in the workings of the OHSAA,” said Jeff Cassella, President of the OHSAA Board of Directors and Athletic Director at Mentor High School. “The Board of Directors is confident that Doug's leadership style and experience is a great fit to lead the OHSAA through this unique year.”
 
Ute began his career in 1988 as a basketball coach and part-time business teacher at Noble Local Schools (Shenandoah High School) in Sarahsville in eastern Ohio. He then went to Buckeye Central in New Washington as a teacher and coach, while also serving as the athletic administrator. In 1996 he became the principal at Marion Elgin and then took over as superintendent in 2000 at Elgin, a district of 1,500 students. Ute became superintendent in Newark in 2009. He served on the OHSAA’s Central District Athletic Board in 2008-09 and has been the Central District’s secretary since the 2011-12 school year.
 
Ute was a standout student-athlete at Clear Fork High School, graduating in 1980, and played basketball at Ashland University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. He would later return to Ashland to earn a master’s degree in school administration, a graduate teaching degree in business, a principal’s license and a superintendent’s license.
 
Ute and his wife, Kory, have four children and eight grandchildren.
 
 
Kimberlee Kiehl, Ph.D.
Associate Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer Since October 13, 2020
[email protected]
 
Dr. Kiehl is a veteran non-profit executive who joined the OHSAA in 2020 as its new Chief Operating Officer after the OHSAA reorganized its operating structure based on extensive analysis and leadership review. In this key leadership role, Dr. Kiehl is responsible for oversight of day-to-day operations, strategic planning and policy making, and for maintaining organizational effectiveness. The COO collaborates with the Executive Director and the Board to refine and implement the Association’s recently adopted strategic plan while ensuring that the budget, staff and priorities are aligned with the Association’s core mission. The COO handles the Executive Director’s duties in his absence.
 
Dr. Kiehl, who grew up in Corning, NY, was selected after a thorough nationwide search.  In making the announcement of Kiehl's hire, then Board President Jeff Cassella said, “We are excited to have Dr. Kiehl join the OHSAA. She has broad experience and a solid track record of leadership in the operations of non-profit institutions that support an educational purpose.  She will serve our members well."  Cassella also noted, “Throughout her career, she has been responsible for everything from program development to revenue growth, membership to janitorial services, volunteer services to building partnerships.”
 
Dr. Kiehl is an accomplished non-profit leader and former educator.  She served as Executive Director of the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center where she led all operations of three early childhood schools located in the Smithsonian museums in the Washington, DC area.  She also served two stints with the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, most recently as Senior Vice President of Experience & Operations and was Director of the Museum of Ohio Project at the Ohio History Connection.  Dr. Kiehl was a tenured faculty member at The Ohio State University for nearly a decade. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Penn State University.
 
“I am excited to join this group of dedicated professionals to bring rich and rewarding athletic experiences to Ohio’s students.” Kiehl said. "Ohio has a rich history of sports and the work of the OHSAA is a vital part of that history."
 
Dr. Kiehl has two adult children, both of whom were high school athletes in Ohio, and three grandchildren.  
 
Bob Goldring
Director of Communications and Special Projects since February 18, 2021
Director of Operations from August 7, 2008 to February 17, 2021
Assistant Commissioner from June 9, 2005 to August 6, 2008
Director of Information Services from October 2, 1995 to June 8, 2005
[email protected]
 
Bob joined the Ohio High School Athletic Association in the fall of 1995 as Director of Information Services. He was promoted to Assistant Commissioner in June 2005 and served in that role until August 2008. During those 13 years, he was responsible for media and public relations; publications, and had oversight of the media at state tournaments and of the office webmaster. In that time he helped enhance the Association’s relationship with the media by providing more and timely information such as news releases, publishing the OHSAA Working With the Media Handbook for athletic administrators and tournament managers and the OHSAA Public Relations Guide for Coaches and creating and chairing the OHSAA Media Advisory Committee; upgraded all publications including state tournament souvenir programs, the quarterly Athlete magazine and the Year-in-Review magazine, and oversaw the enhancement of the OHSAA website and state tournament records and archives.
 
Promoted to Associate Commissioner for Operations prior to the 2008-09 school year, Bob’s main duties are to serve as the office’s chief liaison with the membership and staff in the absence of the Commissioner; plan in- and out-of-office staff and Board of Directors meetings; oversee the Director of Communications and his staff; assist in the areas of media and public relations, publications, marketing and promotions and budget planning, and oversee special projects. He has been involved in several OHSAA committees, including Media Advisory; Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity; Competitive Balance; Expanding Opportunities; District Athletic Board Review; Division I Football Tournament; Cross Country Tournament, and Association Outreach. Bob served as the OHSAA’s acting commissioner for a three-month period that ended in June 2016.
 
A 1977 graduate of Orrville High School, he holds two degrees from The Ohio State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism in 1981 and a Master of Arts degree in sport management in 1982.
 
Bob’s previous work was in collegiate sports information offices. He was sports information director and assistant public relations director at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, Ind.) from June 1983 to May 1984; assistant sports information director and athletic publications coordinator at Purdue University from June 1984 to April 1990, and assistant sports information director at Ohio State from May 1990 to September 1995. His publications at those institutions won 22 national and 16 district awards from the College Sports Information Directors of America. While at Ohio State, he taught a graduate course in the sport management program on sports public relations.
 
Bob and his wife, Terri, a middle school teacher with the Worthington City Schools, have two sons, Sam (21), a college student, and Max (14), a high school freshman. They reside in Powell. Bob has been a youth coach for his sons’ sports teams and has served on the Olentangy Local School District’s Communications Committee.
 
Beau Rugg
Director of Officiating and Sports Management since August 1, 2017
Assistant Commissioner from from February 14, 2013 to July 31, 2017 
[email protected]
 
Beau joined the Ohio High School Athletic Association in the fall of 2012 as Interim Assistant Commissioner and was hired as Assistant Commissioner in February 2013. He oversees the OHSAA’s officiating program, which includes working with the 17,000-plus registered officials, working with each sport’s Director of Officials Development and overseeing and working with state and local rules interpreters, officiating instructors, officials assigners and local officials associations and secretaries, and he is the Association’s administrator for the sports of football and wrestling.
 
Beau’s previous full-time work was with The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Department of Recreational Sports. Starting in 1986, he served as assistant director and moved into two different associate director positions before retiring after 25 years in 2011. He directed a comprehensive intramural sports program encompassing 33 sports before shifting his duties to fundraising and directing marketing, sponsorships, facility scheduling, membership and customer service.
 
Beau has also had a strong tie with the OHSAA over the years, serving as a registered OHSAA contest official in the sports of football (six state tournament assignments) and basketball for over 30 years, when he also has been an officiating instructor in those two sports; the manager of the OHSAA State Track & Field Tournament for 22 years; the head runner for the OHSAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament for 25 years, and a member of the scoring and timing staff at the OHSAA Boys State Basketball Tournament for 17 years. In addition, Beau was an NCAA Division III football official for 10 years; has directed the track tournament in 25 of the 30 years in which he has volunteered for the Ohio Special Olympic Games, and has served on the timing staffs of OSU home football and men’s basketball games for over 25 years.
 
A native of Newark, Ohio, Beau graduated from Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts. He holds two degrees from Ohio State, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education in 1980 and a Master of Arts degree in sport management in 1981. He has also completed doctoral work in physical education/sport management with a minor in business management.
 
Beau and his wife, Morena, reside in Upper Arlington. They have a daughter Meredith (28) and a son Sam (25).
 
Laura Vermilya
Controller
 
Laura Vermilya joined OHSAA as Controller on January 4, 2021.  Laura is a Certified Public Accountant and brings an extensive background in accounting, non-profit leadership, and athletics to this role.  
 
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer,  Laura is responsible for overseeing and directing all day-to-day finance, accounting and reporting activities.  She is involved in presentations to the Board finance and audit committees and works closely with the senior leadership team. 
 
In her 30 years of professional experience, Laura has worked in all aspects of the accounting functions for a variety of different organizations. Her roles have included serving as Senior Auditor with Ernst & Young, Director of Finance for The American Ceramic Society and Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, and in Financial Planning, Reporting and Analysis positions for Limited Brands, Things Remembered, and Alliance Data.
 
An Ashland native, Laura earned four varsity letters in softball and was selected to the First Team All-State in softball in 1986 - the first year the OHSAA selected all-state players for girls fast pitch softball.  Laura held records for most runs and most home runs. She attended Baldwin-Wallace College and earned three varsity letters and All-American honors in softball and earned two varsity letters in soccer.  While in college, Laura served as a ball girl for the Cleveland Indians. Laura was inducted into the Ashland County Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
 
Laura resides in Worthington with her partner, Holly, and their two dogs. In her free time, Laura enjoys cycling, pickleball, book club and rooting on the Cleveland Browns and Indians.
 
Charles Anderson
Manager of Officiating

Anderson was with the Ohio State University Department of Recreational Sports since 2008. He helped manage one of the largest college recreational and club sports programs in the country that includes more than 40 intramural sports and 59 club sports, with more than 22,000 participants.

Prior to OSU, Anderson worked for Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, the University of Illinois and the University of Nebraska. He is a member of the OSU football and basketball game day operations staff and is an OHSAA certified officials instructor for football and basketball.

He is a 1999 graduate of Ohio University and received a master’s degree from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He is a graduate of Massillon Perry High School where lettered in basketball and track & field, helping Perry to its first Federal League track & field conference championship.

Kate Barnett
Sport Administrator since May 17, 2021
 
Barnett joins the OHSAA after 10 years in collegiate athletics administration, including the Ohio Valley Conference office in Nashville as Assistant Commissioner for Championships and Compliance since 2016, and the Southern Conference in Spartanburg, South Carolina, as Director of Championships from 2014-16.
 
Prior to those two positions, she was a graduate assistant at Belmont University and had internships with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.
 
Barnett was a three-year letter winner in volleyball and a four-year letter winner in softball at Cortland Lakeview High School in Northeast Ohio, where she was also a member of the National Honor Society and a Buckeye Girls State delegate. She is a 2009 graduate of Bluffton University where she played volleyball and was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
Molly Downard
Executive Assistant

Assistant to the Executive Director - Board of Directors & District Athletic Boards Liaison; Board Elections; Basketball State Tournament Ticketing; Referendum Voting; Agenda for Board of Directors Meetings; International Exchange Student Forms; OHSAA Foundation; Regional Update Meetings; Athletic Discussion Meetings; Sanctioning; Publication Sales
 
Molly has been with the OHSAA since July of 1991. She has been the Executive Assistant to Commissioner/Executive Directors Clair Muscaro, Dr. Dan Ross, Jerry Snodgrass, and currently Doug Ute.
She is a life-long central Ohio resident and a 1977 graduate of Whitehall-Yearling High School where she was a cheerleader, played softball, was in theatre, choir and ensemble. Prior to coming to the OHSAA she worked at the Columbus Dispatch and the Ohio Department of Health. Molly resides in Delaware with her dog, Cookie, and enjoys travel, her family, entertaining, and decorating her home for fall and Christmas
 
Alexis Holderman
Membership & Compliance Administrative Assistant
 

Alexis joined the OHSAA as a full time staff member in October of 2021 as the membership and compliance administrative assistant. Prior to coming on full time, Alexis served as an intern during the 2017-2018 and 2018-19 school years with the membership services department and communication department.

Alexis graduated from Dublin Jerome High School in 2014, where she swan and ran track. She then went on to earn a bachelor's degree in communications at The Ohio State University. Alexis currently resides in Dublin with her two fur babies.

 
 
 
 
 
Susan Javery
Senior Accountant
 
Susan Javery joined the OHSAA in January 2022 as Senior Accountant and is a Certified Public Accountant.  She has over 35 years’ experience in all phases of accounting which includes non and for-profit organizations.
 
Reporting to the Controller, Susan is responsible for handling cash receipts, accounts receivable invoicing, reconciliation of corporate credit card activities and balance sheet accounts.  She has extensive experience in making sure that accounting internal controls are being followed.  Her experience includes being the accounting contact person for auditors.
 
Susan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA. She resides in Westerville with her husband, Neil and their two cats.  They have three grown children, Joshua (30) and his wife Rebecca (26) who are serving in the US Army at Ft. Hood in Killeen, TX.  Willow (26) lives in Chicago, IL and Shawn (24) is finishing his degree at Miami University in Oxford, OH.
 
Susan enjoys traveling to India and lived in Costa Rica during her Senior year of college.  She enjoys cooking for large groups which included New Albany High School drama department.
 
 Maurice Jenkins
 Staff Accountant

Maurice is a diversified accounting/finance professional with over 10 years of experience in financial reporting, financial analysis and tax reporting. He is a prior diversified information technology professional with over 10 years of experience in network administration and desktop support.

 He has a technology background and received his Masters in Business Administration with concentration in Finance from the New York Institute of Technology at Ellis College. He also has a B.S degree in Computer and Information Science at Albany State University in Georgia

Maurice served for 5 years as a Financial Management Analyst for the Department of Defense (DoD) at Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS-Columbus and DFAS Indianapolis)

He currently serves as the Fiscal Officer and Treasurer of the Southwest Area Commission (SWAC) for Grove City.

 

Claire Duesdieker Keohane 
Customer Experience Manager 
 
Claire joined the OHSAA in October of 2021, when she began working part-time in Officiating. In June 2022 she transitioned to a full time role, working as a Customer Experience Manager, focusing on ticketing for State Tournaments.
 
Originally from California, Claire has lived in Ohio since 2016. She played one season of high school volleyball her Freshman year, and then began competing in the sport of rowing. She continued her rowing career and studies at the University of California, San Diego, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy. After several years working at RegattaCentral, the premiere rowing event and membership management software, she returned to school part time to get her Master’s in Sport Management at The Ohio State University.
 
Claire and her spouse Ada reside in Columbus, and in her free time, Claire is the president of the Greater Columbus Rowing Association.
 
Angie Lawler
Manager of Officiating Technology

Angie joined the OHSAA in August of 2005, when she began working with membership services as an Administrative Assistant. Since 2005, she has transitioned to the Officiating department and has served as a Program Coordinator, Director of Officiating and Sport Management and now Manager of Officiating Technology.

Angie is a proud graduate of Black River High School. She continued her softball pitching career and studies at Otterbein University, graduating with honors and a Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management. She and her husband, Chris, reside in Cardington with their two sons. In their spare time, they enjoy overlanding and finding new destinations to camp in their rooftop tent.

 

Emily Mason
Senior Sports Administrator
[email protected]
Sport Administrator for Baseball, Bowling, Field Hockey and Volleyball
 
Emily joined the OHSAA in June of 2014, when she began working with the Sport Management Department as a Program Coordinator. Since 2014, she has worked with a multitude of sports at the OHSAA and has served as an Assistant Director of Sport Management, Director of Sport Management and now a Senior Sport Administrator. In addition to her duties in the Sport Management Department, Emily began serving as the staff liaison to the Joint Advisory Committee on Sports Medicine in 2021.
 
Emily is a native of Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she played basketball and volleyball in high school. A graduate of the University of Arkansas, she received her bachelor’s degree in May of 2012 in Recreation & Sport Management with a minor in General Business. In August of 2012, she moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend graduate school at The Ohio State University, from which she earned her master’s degree in Sport Management in May of 2014. Emily is an avid fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Boston Red Sox.
 
Kristin Ronai
Director of Compliance & Legislative Affairs
Kristin joined the OHSAA in August 2011 and held a variety of titles before being named the Director of Compliance in January 2019. She is currently responsible for oversight of all student eligibility issues and also serves as the liaison for legislative affairs. Other primary responsibilities include responding to concerns/questions of administrators regarding eligibility guidelines and bylaw interpretations, co-chairing the Competitive Balance Committee, providing testimony and explanations for the OHSAA Appeals Panel and legal cases, and collecting EMIS data for divisional alignment purposes.
 
Kristin (Daugherty) graduated from Warsaw River View High School, where her teams won two girls basketball D2 state titles and she was named the OHSBCA’s “Miss Basketball” award winner her junior and senior seasons. She then went on to graduate Magna Cum Laude from the University of Dayton. While at UD, Kristin played on the women’s basketball team for the Flyers and was a four-time All-Conference honoree and served as a three-time captain. She was also the Atlantic-10 Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year in 2011 and an inductee into the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in January 2020. Kristin resides in Mount Vernon with her husband, Jared, who is the head men’s basketball coach at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU). The couple has three children, Kyler (8), Kamryn (5), and Kolton (2), who are frequently seen running around MVNU’s Ariel Arena.  
 
Ron Sayers
Manager of Membership & Compliance
 
Ronald joined the OHSAA as a full time staff member in July 2019 as the assistant director of membership services. Since January 2021, he has served as the compliance & eligibility specialist for the Association. Prior to coming on full time, Ronald served as an intern during the 2017-2018 school year with the compliance department when he served as the interim assistant director of compliance from October to February. During the same 2017-2018 school year, he earned his master’s degree in sport management from The Ohio State University. Additionally, Ronald spent time with the OSU athletic department as an event management intern.
 
Before moving to Columbus for his graduate studies, Ronald graduated from Austintown Fitch High School in 2013, going on to earn a bachelor's degree in economics at Youngstown State University. During his final two semesters at YSU, he worked with the Austintown Local School District as an athletic department intern and pitching coach for the Falcon baseball team. Ronald currently resides in New Albany with his partner Janell, while spending time with his brother, Ryan, and nephew, Xavier.
 
Tim Stried
Director of Media Relations since September 9, 2008
 
Tim joined the Ohio High School Athletic Association as Director of Communications in the fall of 2008. He handles media relations and communications for the association; oversees media operations at state tournaments; plays a key role in the production of various publications, including state tournament souvenir programs, and has oversight of the OHSAA website and social media. Tim joined the OHSAA after five years in the athletics communications office at The Ohio State University. He was the sports information director for the men’s soccer, fencing, women’s gymnastics and softball teams, coordinated the basketball statistics crew and assisted with media relations for the football program, including four bowl trips.
 
From 1999 to 2003, Tim served as the sports information director at his alma mater, Bluffton University, in Northwest Ohio. He is a 1998 graduate of Bluffton and played football and baseball while majoring in computer science and secondary education. Tim taught at Elida High School during the 1998-99 school year. He is a 1994 graduate of Marion Pleasant High School, where he played football, basketball and baseball.
 
Tim and his wife, Anna, a mathematics teacher at Buckeye Valley High School in Delaware, reside in Powell. They have two sons, Gavin (11) and Graham (9). Tim is a licensed OHSAA basketball official and also enjoys running, hunting and fishing and following the Cincinnati Reds.
 
Brian Timm
General Manager, OHSAA Sports Properties
  
Brian Timm joined the Ohio High School Athletic Association as General Manager, OHSAA Sports Properties in   August of 2021. He handles all sponsorship and partnership related sales, primarily encompassing the OHSAA’s 26   state championship events. Timm joined the OHSAA after a brief stint with m2 marketing.
 
 From 2007 to 2020 he served as Director Corporate Partnerships at the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.   Previously he sold Ohio State football and basketball on radio and television with The Ohio State Buckeyes Radio   Sports Network and the Ohio State Coaches Shows. Timm’s first position out of graduate school in 1984 was Sales Representative with the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club.
 
He is a 1983 graduate of Wittenberg University where he played football as a freshman and served as the Tigers student manager in football and basketball. The 1982-83 basketball Tigers played in the NCAA DIII Final Four, losing the national championship game to Scranton. Upon graduation from Wittenberg Brian completed his Masters in Sports Administration at Ohio University. He is a proud graduate of Troy High School.
 
Brian and his wife Ann have two daughters, Caroline (26) and Emily (21), and reside in Bexley.
 
Chris Walker
Production and Facilities Specialist
 
Chris joined the OHSAA in 2007 as production and building specialist. Before the move to the OHSAA, he was a health and physical education teacher, coach and assistant athletic director in the Pickerington Local School District for 30 years. He handles bulk mailings to schools & officials, shipping and receiving, production of select OHSAA programs, publications, & materials, maintains the state tournament DVD library and orders, and oversees all building maintenance.
 
Chris is a graduate of Delaware Hayes High School and Otterbein College. He and his wife Nancy have been married for 43 years and have three children and seven grandchildren.
 
 Dustin Ware
 Sport Administrator since February 7, 2022

Dustin joins the OHSAA with 19 years of experience across a diverse background in athletic administration, most recently as the athletic director of Walnut Ridge High School where he oversaw one of the most successful two-year spans in the school’s athletic history.

He served as a member of Governor DeWine’s COVID-19 Group Advisory Committee for the reopening of recreational & athletic facilities in May of 2020. He also founded multiple organizations within the martial arts industry including the Ohio Combat Sports Academy, American Grappling Challenge and ARC Training Solutions.

Dustin is a native of Charleston, West Virginia, where he participated in a wide array of activities in high school including multiple sports, music and JROTC. He graduated from Marshall University with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Sports Management. During his time at Marshall, he held an internship with the Office of Recreational Sports & Sports Information Department and was also the co-founder of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Club. Dustin currently resides in Pickerington with his wife, Andrea, and their daughter.

 

Alie Hernandez
Media Relations and Communications Assistant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bryn Mangold
Media Relations and Communications Assistant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Zachary Taylor
Media Relations and Communications Assistant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aleksei Pavloff
Media Relations and Communications Assistant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Keaton Jones
Officiating Department Assistant