Episode # 15 … Ira Childress, Athletics Director, Gulliver Prep School, Miami, FL

Today’s guest is Ira Childress. Ira serves as the Athletic Director at Gulliver Prep High School just outside of Miami Florida. A true believer in the power of building positive relationships, Ira is a two-time nominee for national athletic director of the year as nominated by Varsity Brands, as well as a published author who has a passion for maximizing the student athlete experience. Ira also uses his experiences working for the NCAA to better serve his student-athletes each and every day. Let’s settle in and get to know… Mr. Ira Childress. 

1:01 – Introduction
 5:50- Relating back to the High School Athletics Leader
 8:19- A Transformational, Outside-the-Box Leader
 12:01- The National AD Collaboration with Amanda Waters
 14:44- Lessons from Coach Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Head Football Coach
 17:44- What Led to being nominated as Varsity Brands Athletic Director of the Year
 22:44- Career in Sports Night & Student-Athlete College Recruiting Seminar 
 27:41- Increasing Fan Attendance for High School Athletics…’the Blue Zoo’
 31:20- Gulliver Prep Student-Athlete Advisory Council 
 35:30- Creating a Hall of Fame for a High School Athletic Dept.
 39:05- Skills taken from working in Leadership Development at the NCAA HQ
 41:00- “Run from being good.  Chase being Great.”
 44:25- Establishing Credibility with a New Staff of Coaches
 46:32- A Head Coaches Retreat at the High School level
 50:40- Ira ‘the Author’
 55:35- 2-Minute Drill

Book Mentions:      Beating the Odds (Ira Childress)              

You can follow Jayme Pendergast and Life University Athletics on social media
 Twitter: @GulliverAD 
Instagram: Gulliver Prep Athletics

Find out more about Mr. Ira Childress and Gulliver Prep Athletics at: Gulliver Prep Athletics

About Hangin With The AD Podcast….

Hangin with the AD is an interview style podcast where Don Baker, Cobb County School District Director of Athletics, partners with Josh Mathews, 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.         

Don Baker.... Director of Athletics for the Cobb County School District in Georgia. @CCSD_AD (twitter & instagram)

Josh Mathews...Athletics Director at Pope High School in Marietta, GA (East Cobb). @jwmathews14 (twitter & instagram)