Adrian Madison’s Isom Selected for 2019 MHSAA Women In Sports Leadership Award
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Feb. 21 – Over the last three decades, Kris Isom has served as an advocate and champion for high school student-athletes in her district, league and statewide in a number of leadership roles. Her contributions will be celebrated Saturday, March 23, 2019, when she receives the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s 32nd Women In Sports Leadership Award during halftime of the Division 3 Girls Basketball Final at Calvin College’s Van Noord Arena. Each year, the Representative Council considers the achievements of women coaches, officials and athletic administrators affiliated with the MHSAA who show exemplary leadership capabilities and positive contributions to athletics. Isom is in her 33rd year as athletic director and 34th overall at Adrian Madison, taking over athletics for the high school and junior high after serving as a teacher and coach her first year in the district. Isom also has served as part of the MHSAA Representative Council since 2008, representing Class C and D schools from the state’s southeastern section. “I’m very honored by this award, not only because it’s for women in leadership. I’ve been doing this 33 years and I’ve seen more and more women in this profession … that for all things considered is a man’s profession,” Isom said. “Having a daughter, who while she’s not following my footsteps, but getting her in the business world eventually, it’s a good feeling.” Isom’s contributions to high school sports and its participants are many and at all levels. Within her district, she has coached various levels of basketball, volleyball, sideline cheer, track & field and softball – at least one sport every year, including as the eighth grade girls basketball coach this season. At the league level, Isom has served as president of the Tri-County Conference since 2002 after previously serving as vice president and secretary/treasurer. Serving more of her neighboring districts, Isom has hosted numerous District, Regional and Quarterfinal competitions and MHSAA Coaches Advancement Program (CAP) sessions. All the while, she continued to serve as a class advisor to Madison students through last year, when her daughter Rachel graduated, and continues to teach health and physical education at the high school. “I like being in the classroom and coaching because I still have a connection with kids, know who they are,” Isom said. “Being at a smaller school, you’re able to know who kids are, but at the middle school especially I don’t know a lot. Getting involved in coaching has helped me put a name with a face so I will know them coming up.” At the statewide level, Isom has provided her expertise as a member of the Representative Council and 33-year member of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. She also assists MHSAA staff annually in selecting members of the 16-student Student Advisory Council. She was named the MIAAA’s Region 6 “Athletic Director of the Year” in 2000 and received the MHSAA’s Allen W. Bush Award in 2016 to recognize her many behind-the-scenes contributions. “Kris Isom continues to provide a steadying presence on our Representative Council. She researches issues and really brings a voice of reason to the discussion – not only to the full Council, but to the Executive Committee as well,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “She does a great jobrepresenting the southeastern corner of the state, bringing a small-school perspective to the table time after time. We’re thankful for her leadership and glad to present her with the Women In Sports Leadership Award.” A graduate of Clinton High School, Isom received her bachelor’s degree in science and teaching certification in physical education and health in 1984 from Michigan State University. She earned her master’s in elementary education in 1986 from Eastern Michigan University and also has completed graduate courses from Fresno Pacific University. In addition to the MIAAA and NIAAA, Isom is a member of the Michigan Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD) and the Michigan State University Alumni Association. She’s active with Adrian’s United Church of Christ in various service projects, including an annual fundraiser for cancer research, and also participates in local Meals on Wheels, American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity projects. The first Women In Sports Leadership Award was presented in 1990. Past recipients are: 1990 – Carol Seavoy, L’Anse 1991 – Diane Laffey, Harper Woods 1992 – Patricia Ashby, Scotts 1993 – Jo Lake, Grosse Pointe 1994 – Brenda Gatlin, Detroit 1995 – Jane Bennett, Ann Arbor 1996 – Cheryl Amos-Helmicki, Huntington Woods 1997 – Delores L. Elswick, Detroit 1998 – Karen S. Leinaar, Delton 1999 – Kathy McGee, Flint 2000 – Pat Richardson, Grass Lake 2001 – Suzanne Martin, East Lansing 2002 – Susan Barthold, Kentwood 2003 – Nancy Clark, Flint 2004 – Kathy Vruggink Westdorp, Grand Rapids 2005 – Barbara Redding, Capac 2006 – Melanie Miller, Lansing 2007 – Jan Sander, Warren Woods 2008 – Jane Bos, Grand Rapids 2009 – Gail Ganakas, Flint; Deb VanKuiken, Holly 2010 – Gina Mazzolini, Lansing 2011 – Ellen Pugh, West Branch; Patti Tibaldi, Traverse City 2012 – Janet Gillette, Comstock Park 2013 – Barbara Beckett, Traverse City 2014 – Teri Reyburn, DeWitt 2015 – Jean LaClair, Bronson 2016 – Betty Wroubel, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 2017 – Dottie Davis, Ann Arbor Huron 2018 – Meg Seng, Ann Arbor Greenhills The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year. Geoff Kimmerly Michigan High School Athletic Association Media & Content Coordinator Editor, MHSAA Second Half (517) 332-5046