The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) recognized Michael Payne, director of student activities at Gar-Field High School, as a Certified Master Athletic Administrator. “Michael Payne is one of a very elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide to attain this level of professionalism,” stated Justin Chapman, communications manager for NIAAA. “To earn this distinction, Payne has demonstrated exemplary knowledge, contributions, and on-going professional development in the field of interscholastic athletic administration.”
Payne is the third PWCS employee to earn this master level and is among only 51 in Virginia and approximately 1,200 across the U.S. The master certification process involves advanced education and experience in the field, including NIAAA leadership courses and other professional contributions, and culminates in a written and oral evaluation. The two other division recipients are E.W. Nowland III, coordinator of student activities and athletics in the Student Activities Department, and Johnathan Bukva, health and physical education teacher at Unity Reed High School. Bukva also holds international level certification, the only one in Virginia to do so.
The NIAAA is a national professional organization consisting of all 50 state athletic administrator associations and more than 12,000 individual members. It is dedicated to promoting the professional growth of high school athletic administrators and preserving the educational nature of interscholastic athletics and the place of these programs in the secondary school curriculum.