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150to operate exclusively for the charitable benefi ts of IHSAA member schools and their studentathletes. As funding becomes available, the Foundation, overseen by a Board of Directors, will award college scholarships to student-athletes in their pursuit of post-secondary education. It also will support IHSAA member schools through a grant program designed to help fund special projects.On June 10, 2015, Assistant Commissioner Sandy Searcy announced her resignation effective July 31 to join the executive staff of the National Federation. An assistant commissioner since 1999, Searcy was named Director of Sports for swimming and diving, water polo and softball and to assist in planning for various NFHS meetings and conferences.On July 13, 2015, the Executive Committee approved Kerrie Schludecker as a new assistant commissioner eff ective August 1, 2015.Schludecker had served the previous three years as athletic director at Boone Grove High School following two years at Marquette Catholic High School. She had been an active member and served on several committees for both the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (IIAAA) and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).On October 26, 2016, Steven Helmich was announced as the fi rst president of the IHSAA Foundation. In his role as chief administrator, Helmich will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Foundation including the development and fundraising eff orts to support its programs and the distribution of scholarships and grants. Helmich joined the Association following a 16-year career as president of Cathedral High School. On February 17, 2017, Assistant Commissioner Phil Gardner announced his retirement eff ective June 30 after nine years on the Executive Staff .Paul Neidig, Chief of Staff and Director of Athletics of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) and a continuous member of the IHSAA Board of Directors since 2004, was hired as an assistant commissioner on May 10, 2017.His appointment began July 1 following a 31-year career with EVSC where Neidig also served as its Chief Administrative Offi cer from 2012 to 2015, Deputy Chief of Staff from 2009 to 2012 and Director of Athletics at Evansville Central High School from 2001 to 2010. Prior to that, Neidig had worked at Evansville Central as a teacher, department chair, head coach and assistant coach for boys basketball, assistant athletic director and technology director between 1985 and 2001. He had also served as Chairman of the IHSAA Executive Committee three times in 2006-07, 2009-10 and 2015-16.On August 15, 2017, Matt Wolfert was hired as president of the IHSAA Foundation taking over for Steven Helmich who had stepped down in May. Wolfert joined the Association following a one-year stint as Director of Major Gifts at Cathedral High School. Prior to Cathedral, Wolfert had served as Director of Corporate Relationships for the NCAA from 2012 to 2016 and at Ball State University as Associate Director of Athletics %u2013 External Aff airs from 2004 to 2012.Heath Shanahan joined the IHSAA in November 2016 and was promoted to the Association%u2019s Executive Staff in July 2018 as its fi rst Director of Broadcasting/Executive Producer for the IHSAA Champions Network. Shanahan serves as the primary director and executive producer for all aspects of the IHSAA Champions Network broadcasts including IHSAAtv.org as well as maintaining and fulfi lling contractual obligations with various partners. He%u2019ll also oversee development and distribution of a new content platform for IHSAA media and news.Bobby Cox, commissioner since 2011, announced to the IHSAA Executive Committee on January 16, 2020, his intention to retire eff ective August 1, 2020. During Cox%u2019s tenure, the IHSAA made unprecedented advances in numerous areas all with the intention of further strengthening the IHSAA%u2019s brand and trumpeting the many values and benefi ts of participation in education-based athletics. He oversaw an expansion of corporate partnerships and sponsorships for the Association including adding the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever as presenting sponsors for the boys and girls basketball state tournaments. His embrace of the Champions Together initiative, a partnership with Special Olympics Indiana, established the newest state tournaments in Unifi ed Track and Field (2014) and Unifi ed Flag Football (2018). The two sports allowed students with and without intellectual Former Executive Committee Members