A look at the top candidates for FHSAA Executive Director

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is getting closer to naming its next Executive Director to replace the outgoing Dr. Roger Dearing.

However, before naming who will be the 10th Executive Director to lead an organization consisting over 800 member schools at the high school and middle school levels, the Board of Directors will take to the Dorothy Brunson Conference Center at the Robert W. Hughes FHSAA Building in Gainesville to interview the top three candidates this Sunday.

Back at the end of January, the FHSAA Board of Directors officially released the name of what was then four candidates, that has seen been reduced to three candidates as a previous candidate, Hershel Lyons, removed his name from consideration. Here at FloridaHSFootball.com, we will take a look at the backgrounds of each of the candidates to give you a deeper analysis of the next possible FHSAA Executive Director.

EDDIE BONINE

If Eddie Bonine sounds familiar to you, that is because he is the father of former major league baseball player Eddie Bonine Jr., and Bonine Sr., himself was a former professional baseball player playing under the Houston Astros and its farm league teams from 1979 until 1986.

However, Bonine is more than just a former professional athlete. He has many years of experiences as an athletic and school administrator expanding through several states including Arizona, Nevada and currently Louisiana over the last 25-plus years.

Bonine has been the Executive Director of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, a nearly 400-member school organization, since March 2015 despite the resume that was furnished to us by the FHSAA shows a year difference in his timing of being named to that position.

Editor’s Note: According to this press release, Bonine was named LHSAA Executive Director at the end of 2014, officially taking over the job in 2015.

Prior to his current position, Bonine was the Executive Director for seven years with the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

Bonine holds a Master of Educational Leadership Administration from the University of Phoenix and is also a holds a National Athletic Administrative Certification (C.A.A.) in 2004.

In his cover letter to the FHSAA, Bonine cites his knowledge that he has gained over the past decade as an Executive Director in Nevada and Lousiana and that Florida would be the next step in his progression of opportunity.

Bonine is the only candidate of the three candidates that currently has no ties to the state of Florida.

DR. MARGARET “PEGGY” JONES

For those who have followed the FHSAA closely over the year, the name Dr. Peggy Jones will sound familiar to you. That is because she was previously the FHSAA Associate Director for Administrative Services from 2011 through 2014.

However, just most recently, though, Jones served as a consultant for Indian River County Schools helping beginning principals using her knowledge of over two decades of experience to help guide the principals into their new roles.

Prior to joining the FHSAA in 2009 as the Associate Director for Athletic Services, Jones served just over a decade as the Principal of Sebastian River High School in Sebastian and served the Indian River County School District as a principal going back to 1992.

Overall as an educator, Jones has been an educator since 1974 and cites many accomplishments and achievements as well as the committees she has served on in her resume.

Some of the committees Jones served on during her time with the FHSAA includes serving on the FHSAA Officials Advisory Committee, the FHSAA All-Sports Committees, the FHSAA Athletic Directors Advisory Committee, and the FHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.

Jones cited in her cover letter her appreciation for what Dr. Dearing has done during his tenure and expresses that she was lucky to have been a part of it as well as helping change the culture in the FHSAA offices.

She holds her Doctor of Education degree from Nova Southeastern University.

GEORGE D. TOMYN

For those reading this from Marion County will be familiar with the name George Tomyn.

Tomyn, who recently retired as the Superintendent of Marion County Public Schools, has been part of a family of educators in Marion County going back over 80 years, according to the Ocala Star-Banner.

For Tomyn himself, he put in 36 years as an education administrator and over 40 years total as an educator.

Prior to serving as Superintendent, which is an elected position in Marion County, from 2012 until last year, Tomyn served eight years as an Executive Director of School Development and Evaluation for Marion County. In the 10 years prior to that position, Tomyn served as a school principal at Sunrise Elementary and Forest High School, both in Ocala.

Tomyn, who doesn’t have much of any athletic administration experience outside of being a high school on his resume, cited in his cover letter to the FHSAA that he his exposure to the FHSAA began many years before he knew that such an organization existed while his father was a teacher and coach. Later on, his father served as a basketball and football referee sanctioned by the FHSAA and has had many encounters with people associated the FHSAA since that time.

However, Tomyn does feel that his qualifications as a school administrator for many years and the experiences he has had interacting with the FHSAA will serve the association well.

Tomyn holds his Master Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Florida.

FHSAA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR INTERVIEWS

Here is the detail about how to see the interviews in person on Sunday, which are open to the public.

When: Sunday, March 13, 2017
Time: 8:30 AM Eastern to approximately 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Where: Robert W. Hughes FHSAA Building, 1801 NW 80th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32606
How to get there: Take Exit 387 from I-75 on to Newberry Road (SR 26) to Fort Clarke Blvd (the third stoplight coming from I-75 North, the fourth stoplight coming from I-75 South). Take a right at Fort Clarke Blvd, then take a right at NW 15th Place and then follow the road which will turn into NW 80th Blvd until it dead ends at the FHSAA offices.

TOMORROW: Find out who we feel the FHSAA Board of Directors should hire as the next FHSAA Executive Director in an opinion column from Publisher, Joshua Wilson.