INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Associate Commissioner of Marketing and Development, Karen DeHart, is among fifteen leaders in high school activity programs across the country who have been selected to receive National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) Citations.
DeHart was selected from Section 3 of the NFHS, the region of the southeast U.S. comprised of eight states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. She has served students and high schools in North Carolina for the past 22 years with the NCHSAA, leading the development team in marketing, fundraising and scholarships.
Within her current role and department at the NCHSAA, DeHart is responsible for oversight and coordination of marketing and branding, business development related to partnerships and vendors, merchandising and licensing. She continues to lead fundraising efforts and other programming related to the NCHSAA Endowment Fund and Hall of Fame Endowment. She also assists the commissioner with management of the annual budget and investments. Under her leadership, the development and marketing team has grown the endowment fund and corporate partnership revenues exponentially. DeHart helped coordinate the NCHSAA’s 100-year celebration in 2013-14.
Prior to joining the NCHSAA staff, DeHart worked in the corporate fitness sector at IBM and went on to teach elementary school health and physical education at Parrott Academy in Kinston, North Carolina. At Parrott, she also coached the junior varsity and varsity girls high school volleyball and basketball teams.
An active participant on the national level, DeHart has presented on various topics related to sponsorships, ticket sales, investments and marketing at numerous NFHS Summer Meetings. Under DeHart’s leadership, the NCHSAA hosted a national Development Summit in 1997 and a Development Roundtable in 2001 with state association marketing and development staff members from around the country in attendance.
DeHart graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. She received her master’s degree in exercise and sports science in 1995 also from UNC-Chapel Hill. While in graduate school, she served as an assistant track and field coach at Chapel Hill High School.
Commissioner Que Tucker noted, “Karen continues to be an integral part of the success of the NCHSAA through her tireless work and dedication to serve the members of the Association and the student-athletes who participate in our programs.” Tucker added, “She is most deserving of this recognition, as her leadership in the areas of marketing and development has helped raise the bar not just here at the NCHSAA, but also across the country, with other state association colleagues.”
NFHS Citations are designed to honor individuals who have made contributions to the NFHS, state high school associations, athletic director and coaching professions, the officiating avocation as well as the fine and performing arts.
Eight of the 15 award winners represent NFHS-member state high school associations. Four Citation recipients represent NFHS professional organizations for officials, coaches, music leaders and speech/debate/theatre directors, and three others are being honored for their contributions to the NFHS.
In addition to DeHart, there are seven other stat association representatives from across the country being recognized for with this award. Other state association representatives include: Dick Neal, retired executive director of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association; Bob Goldring, associate commissioner for operations of the Ohio High School Athletic Association; Tom Shafranski, assistant director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association; Stacy Schroeder, associate executive director of the Missouri State High School Activities Association; Tom Robinson, associate commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association; Dr. Harold Slemmer, retiring executive director of the Arizona Interscholastic Association; and Tom Welter, former executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association.
Seven other individuals will also be awarded for their contribution to the NFHS or professional organizations for officials, coaches, music leaders and speech, debate or theatre directors. Other recipients include: Other Citation recipients are Sharon Hughes, Official Citation recipient, volleyball official, New Jersey; Dick Katte, Coach Citation recipient, retired boys basketball coach at Denver (Colorado) Christian High School; Neil Hendriksen, Music Citation recipient, director of choral activities at Woods Cross (Utah) High School; J. Scott Baker, Speech/Debate/Theatre Citation recipient, former speech and debate coach, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, Houston, Texas; David Hoch, retired athletic director, contributor to High School Today magazine, Maryland; Lee Green, J.D., attorney, professor emeritus at Baker University, Kansas, contributor to High School Today magazine; Steffen Parker, music director and educator, contributor to High School Today magazine, Vermont.
The 2017 NFHS Citation recipients will receive their awards July 1 at the 98th annual NFHS Summer Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island.
