MIDVALE, UT - The Utah High School Activities Association has promoted Josh Taylor and Jeff Cluff to assistant directors. They will begin serving in their new capacities July 1 when current UHSAA Assistant Director Bart Thompson will assume duties as the Executive Director of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

“Bart has done an incredible job in our office building relationships and handling his duties as an Assistant Director.  Through his dedication and commitment to high school activities, he has prepared himself well for this leadership position with the NIAA,” said UHSAA Executive Director Rob Cuff.

Josh Taylor

Taylor has been with the UHSAA since 2010 serving as the UHSAA's Communications and Technology Director. He will be the UHSAA director of soccer as well as the director for speech and debate. He will continue to manage UHSAA.org, develop RegisterMyAthlete and administer Unified Sports with Special Olympics Utah.

 

 

Jeff Cluff

Cluff has been the UHSAA's Supervisor of Officials since 2014 and previously worked at Dixie State University for 13 years in a variety of roles including DSU's Coordinator of Media Relations. He will be the UHSAA director of baseball and will continue his role as the director of officiating.

Cuff said, “We have been extremely fortunate to hire great athletic administrators and outstanding people in this office over the years.  The UHSAA has been a tremendous training ground for assistant directors in taking over other leadership positions in athletic administration both in state and out of state.  Now is the time to promote from within our Association and build on the momentum we already have in place as a staff.   I am excited for Josh and Jeff and the relationships and opportunities they will continue to have as Assistant Directors.”

The new director of wrestling is Dave Vande Veegaete, who is also the athletic director for the Granite School District. He will serve as the rules interpreter and state tournament director for UHSAA wrestling.

“I am thrilled for the announcement of Dave Vande Veegaete as the director of wrestling, said Cuff.  “His expertise and his experience in assisting Bart at state wrestling tournaments will provide our membership the consistency and stability necessary to address the needs and compliment the great things happening within Utah wrestling.”

Kim Monkres and Ryan Bishop will continue in their current roles as Assistant Directors with the UHSAA for the 2015-2016 school year according to Cuff.

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About UHSAA
The UHSAA is the leadership organization for high school athletic and fine arts activities in Utah.  Since 1927, the UHSAA has led the development of education-based interscholastic athletic and fine arts activities that help students succeed in their lives.  The belief is these activities are an essential part of the high school experience and go a long way to improving academic performance and producing better citizens. 

The UHSAA reaches 142 member schools and over 85,000 participants in high school activity programs.  The organization sanctions 10 girls’ sports and 10 boys’ sports and music, theatre and speech/debate in five different classifications. The UHSAA is governed by a 30 member Board of Trustees made up of elected school board members and superintendents representing all regions and areas throughout Utah, principals from each of the five classifications and a state board of education representative.  The organization is committed to stressing educational and cultural values, improving the participation experience in activities, promoting life skills and lessons involved in competitive activities, fostering sportsmanship and mutual respect and assisting those who oversee high school sports and activities in UHSAA member high schools.