
Hangin With The AD Podcast
Hangin with the AD is an interview style podcast where Don Baker (CMAA), Cobb County School (GA) District Director of Athletics, partners with Josh Mathews (CMAA), Pope High School (GA) Athletic Director, to discuss hot topics and lessons learned with leaders in the world of athletics. These leaders include high school athletic directors at the district and local school levels; college athletic administrators; leaders in spaces that connect to athletics such as nutrition, wellness, recruiting, student-athlete recognition; current and former athletes; and others, who can help athletic administrators develop themselves and their programs for a better daily experience for their athletic communities. We hope you enjoy the time we spend with these special guests. Please leave us a review or rating to help us know how you were benefited from this podcast or how we can improve it. Thank you for listening. And until next time, thank you for spending your time, Hangin with the AD.
Hangin With The AD Podcast
Getting to know your host: Don Baker
Host Josh Mathews (Pope HS Athletic Director, GA) interviews co-host Don Baker (Director of Athletics for the Cobb County School District, GA) in the first of two "Getting to know your host" episodes.
Don Baker.... Director of Athletics for the Cobb County School District in Georgia. He attended Valdosta State University receiving a degree in Secondary Education in 2000. He earned a Master of Educational Leadership from Jacksonville State University in 2005 followed by a Specialist in Educational Leadership from The University of West Georgia in 2018. Don was an assistant coach at Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Ga. where he was a member of the 1998 state championship football coaching staff following a playing career at Valdosta High School where he was a member of the 1992 state and national football championship team and where he also served as a defensive captain on the school’s 1995 state runner-up team. Following his time in Valdosta, Don served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, and athletic director at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Kennesaw, Ga. from 2000-2019. Don was named the Region 3-7A Athletic Director of the Year in 2017 and was named the Cobb County Athletic Director of the year for the 2018-19 school year. He is a member of the Georgia Athletic Director’s Association (GADA) and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) and has served as a speaker at the GADA.