AYER – Since taking as athletic director of the Ayer-Shirley Regional School district, Steve Kendall has put his heart and soul into the position and helped take the Panthers athletic programs to new heights.
While there’s no question of the success his teams have had during his watch, Kendall hasn’t rested on his laurels as he continues to learn and continues to work hard to help provide the school’s student athletes with the best possible athletic experience.
The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) announced that Kendall has been recognized as a Certified Athletic Administrator.
The Ayer-Shirley Tracker and Lunenburg Ledger recently reached out to Kendall following the announcement.
“I’m just hoping to keep applying what I’ve learned in these courses as well as with my mentors in improving what we do here (at Ayer-Shirley),” said Kendall told the Ayer-Shirley Tracker recently.
“We have made some great strides but we want to continue to grow.”
To earn this distinction, Kendall has demonstrated the highest level of knowledge and expertise in the field of interscholastic athletic administration. The voluntary certification process included a thorough evaluation of the candidate's educational background, experience, and professional contributions, as well as a rigorous, comprehensive written examination.
Kendall is one of an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide to attain this level of professionalism.
“I’m very happy to be part of a school district with a great team of coaches, students, parents and community members,” said Kendall. “The people in town do so much for the youth here. I love it.”
A 1988 graduate of Leominster High School, Kendall took over as Ayer-Shirley Regional’s Athletic Director in the fall of 2018. Kendall replaced former athletic director Jon Sweeney.
Prior to coming to joining the Ayer-Shirley Regional School District, Kendall worked in the Nashoba Regional School District in Bolton as an educator and a coach. Kendall served as head coach of the Nashoba Regional ice hockey team and the Nashoba Regional softball program.
“The NIAAA and MSADA have provided challenges to not only improve my own abilities but to also improve our programs, coaches and athletes here at Ayer-Shirley.” said Kendall.
The NIAAA is an accredited organization and is the professional organization for interscholastic athletic administrators. Based in Indianapolis, IN, the NIAAA’s mission is to provide professional development options for directors of athletics, and to enhance the athletic administration profession. With a current individual membership of over 12,000, the NIAAA consists of member state athletic administrator associations in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, as well as internationally. The NIAAA champions the profession of athletic administration through education opportunities, advocating ethics, developing leaders, and fostering community. For more information, visit the NIAAA website at www.niaaa.org.
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