Indianapolis — Greg Smith, a Monroe native, is one of seven interscholastic athletic administrators that will be inducted in the 15th class of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Hall of Fame on Dec. 19 during the 54th annual National Athletic Directors Conference, co-sponsored by the NIAAA and NFHS.
The conference will be held December 15-19 at the Orlando Wold Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida.
The 2023 NIAA Hall of Fame Class includes Greg Smith, CMAA, retired director of athletics from Monroe, Wis.; Richard Bechard, CMAA, retired athletic administrator from Overland Park, Kansas; Carol Dozibrin, CMAA, retired director of athletics from Hampton, New Hampshire; Karl Heimback, CMAA, retired athletic administrator from Mechaniscsburg, Pennsylvania; Karen Leinaar, CAA, retired director of athletics from Frankfort, Michigan; Larry Moklestad, CAA, retired director of athletics from Ankeny, Iowa; and Pete Shambo, CMAA, retired athletic administrator from Rochester, New York.
Smith, CMAA, spent his time in athletic administration furthering the concept of education-based athletics. Prior to his time as an athletic director, he was a coach at the college and high school level and went on to become the district athletic director at Hermiston High School in Hermiston, Oregon.
At Hermiston, Smith led the planning and supervision of the construction of a new high school campus and athletic complexes. Furthermore, Smith added six new athletic programs to the high school, as well as the first athletic training program in conjunction with a local hospital.
While in Oregon, Smith’s presence made an impact, as he joined the Oregon Athletic Director’s Association (OADA) board of directors in 2000. His time on the board included serving as secretary, treasurer, and vice president.
In 2023, Smith moved to Wisconsin to be the district athletic director at West DePere School District in DePere, Wis. There, he planned and helped renovate the softball, baseball, soccer, tennis, football, track and field, cross country, and weight training facilities.
At West DePere, Smith was also a key influencer in adding five new athletic programs: boys and girls tennis, boys and girls hockey, and girls golf.
In Wisconsin, Smith joined the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association (WADA) membership right away. In the fall of 2003, he was named to a WADA-subcommittee to rewrite the constitution and handbook for WADA.
Later in 2006, Smith joined the WADA board of directors and went on to serve as vice president and president. He also still serves on the NIAAA Leadership Training Institute (LTI) state faculty.
Within the NIAAA, Smith was a dedicated board member for the organization. He contributed as the NEDC Liason for three years. In addition, Smith has been an NIAAA member for over 22 years.
Before Smith joined the NIAAA board, he was a member of the Certification Committee. His duties included reading over CAA PDFs, supervising tests, and rewriting CMAA projects.
Smith’s previous achievements include the NIAAA State Award of Merit, Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award, NFHS Citation, and he was elected to the WADA Hall of Fame in 2016.
