Bob Gardner has been the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations since May of 2010. He will be retiring from this position in August of 2018 after nearly 50 years of serving in secondary education. Gardner was only the fifth full-time executive director for the NFHS since 1940.
During his 18 years on the NFHS staff in Indianapolis, participation in high school sports has increased by almost 400,000, including the expanded opportunity for students with disabilities in high school sports. Gardner has led the organization’s focus on risk minimization in high school sports, with particular emphasis on concussion awareness, and has brought a heightened national presence to the work of the NFHS and its member state associations.
In addition to the continual expansion of the NFHS Learning Center during his tenure, Gardner is credited with starting the NFHS Network, the first-of-its-kind digital coverage of high school sports with more than 25,000 events covered during the 2016-17 school year.
He spent his career in Indiana as a teacher and coach at three schools for eight years and as an athletic director. In 1978, Gardner became principal of Milan Junior-Senior High School, followed by a stint as superintendent of the Milan Community Schools.
After serving on the Indiana High School Athletic Association board of directors during his time at Milan, Gardner joined the IHSAA staff in 1985 as assistant commissioner. He served 10 years in that role prior to becoming commissioner in 1995.
Gardner joined the NFHS staff in 2000 as chief operating officer and served in that position for 10 years prior to becoming executive director. During this time, he chaired the NFHS Rules Review Committee and was responsible for day-to-day operations of the organization. He has served on the board of directors for USA Football, USA Basketball and the Indiana Sports Corp. He is a member of the Indiana High School Wrestling Hall of Fame.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
- His career serving student-athletes
- The movie Hoosiers and the real-life story
- The future of High School sports
Mark Fauser has been a television and movie actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He had parts in such shows as Jag, Evening Shade, Coach, SeaQuest, and Quantum Leap. He moved from Hollywood to Marion, Indiana in the early 2000’s and proceeded to help build up the Community School of the Arts as the Executive Director. He has continued to add value to the Marion community as the Director of Marketing for the City and currently serves as a Creative Development Consultant for Marion Community Schools. He has a love and passion for helping the community and has a desire to give back. His relationships with such stars as Jim Caviezel, Kelly Ripa, Billy Bob Thornton, and his mentor Burt Reynolds were key as he was able to get them to help the Community School of the Arts in various ways. In 2006 he won the Marion Grant County Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award. In 2007 he won the Indiana University Public Service Award and the Grant County Community Achievement Award. He was presented with the 2011 Indiana Governor’s Arts Award for his work as a writer, actor and his leadership for the Community School of the Arts. He lives with his wife and three children in Marion, Indiana and works out of a home office that is decorated from wall-to-wall with action figures.
Tracy Randall is a Grammy nominee, Urban Inspirational Recording Artist, Label Owner, Entertainment Attorney & Manager. He is also a cancer survivor. In an ever-changing entertainment industry, Tracy Randall’s clientele includes but is not limited to independent record companies, distributors, producers, music publishers, artists, songwriters. Areas of practice encompass all facets of Intellectual Property, Entertainment, Film, and Sports-related legal issues. Dr. Randall has successfully orchestrated deals for his producers and songwriters with top-tiered entertainers including but not limited to 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Ashanti, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Keisha Cole, Game, Katie Perry, Miley Cyrus, Eminem, Nas and many others. Randall has structured and continues to structure numerous recording and publishing deals with Jive, Sony Entertainment, Inc., Epic Records, RCA, Interscope, Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records, Universal and Universal/Motown, Warner Chappelle, Universal Music Publishing, Zomba, Sony/ATV… just to name a few. Tracy received his law degree from New York University Law School and his PhD in International Business & Marketing from UCLA.
Chris Rollins is a Master Trainer in the DISC Model of Human Behavior and a Founding Partner with the global John Maxwell Team. He speaks and trains using his proprietary 3C Model of Performance (Communicate, Connect, Convert) to address the crucial areas of Communication, Leadership, & Sales that every organization must address to achieve massive & sustainable top & bottom line growth. Chris has shared the speaking stage with speakers such as John Maxwell, Les Brown, & Brian Tracy, among others. Chris brings an uplifting, encouraging, yet challenging delivery style that has helped inspire audiences to take action that leads to achieving their true potential. 
Darrin Gray serves as President and CEO of The Lions Lead. Darrin has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience in communications, media, branding, sports philanthropy and non-profit sectors and has managed annual budgets as large as $40,000,000. Based upon his work with All Pro Dad, the national non-profit founded by Tony Dungy, Darrin is recognized as a thought leader and speaker on the topics of family, fatherhood, mentoring and leadership. Darrin co-authored The Jersey Effect, Beyond the World Championship, and supports his community by serving on non-profit boards and as the President of the Center for Serving Leadership at the Sagamore Institute, an action-oriented think tank. Darrin has a unique window into the National Football League by virtue of his day-to-day involvement with All Pro Dad, Family First’s national fatherhood program cofounded by Tony Dungy and Clyde Christensen. Darrin interacts with NFL athletes, coaches, and alumni that serve as spokesmen for All Pro Dad, and he has conducted programming with over half of the NFL franchises. He develops innovative partnership strategies to reach families via special events, broadcast, and new media with the assistance of media partners and corporate sponsors. He conceptualized The Jersey Effect years ago when he wondered what motivated some athletes like Tony Dungy to use their professional platform in sports, their jersey, to make a positive impact both on and off the field. A few years later he invited NFL punter Hunter Smith, while he was still playing in the NFL, to coauthor the book and to help him explore the many ways that sports shape culture, with the help of his world champion teammates and coaches. 
