Six vying for athletic director position

CLOVIS — Six applicants hope to become the next athletic director at Clovis High School, with five candidates in the district and the other holding athletic director experience in Texas.

Interviews are scheduled today and Thursday, Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources Kerry Parker said. The expectation is to select an applicant by the end of this week or early next week, with that person starting July 1 at a $77,500 salary.

The selected applicant will succeed Dale Fullerton, who leaves the position June 30. He resigned to avoid any potential conflicts of interest after his son, Cal Fullerton, was named head football coach for the Wildcats.

The candidates are Keith Durham, Kenny Eudy, Drew Hatley, Greg Hill, Loran Hill and Darren Kelley.

“We have quality applicants,” Superintendent Jody Balch said, “and the committee will name the one that fits us best.”

• Durham, a health teacher at Clovis High. He was an assistant coach for the 30-0 2005 Clovis girls basketball team and head coach for Texico’s 2007 and 2008 Class 2A champion girls teams. Other coaching experience includes Portales, Fort Lewis College, Eastern New Mexico University and Boise State.

• Eudy has spent 31 years in teaching, coaching and administration in Texas public education. The principal at Olton High School has also been an athletic director and football coach at Olton, Petersburg, Culberson County-Allamoore, Blooming Grove and Kress.

• Hatley, a history teacher at CHS and defensive coordinator for the football team, served a year as Clovis baseball coach. He was a finalist for the CHS football position.

• Greg Hill is an assistant principal at CHS and former baseball coach for both Clovis and Portales high schools.

• Loran Hill, no relation to Greg Hill, is principal at Yucca Middle School. He has worked with the district since 2009 and has been the Yucca principal since November 2012. He also coached and taught in the Lovington school district.

• Kelley is CHS’ assistant athletic director and boys track coach. He has been the track coach for 18 years and has been an assistant with Clovis’ football (21 years, nine as defensive coordinator), basketball, baseball and track programs.

Eudy and Hatley were both applicants for the Clovis football position earlier this year.

The application period was March 17 through last Friday. The job requires a master’s degree, five years of experience in a supervisory position and an administrator license.

The job has 44 listed duties, including attendance at all CHS home athletic events and road events when possible, working with coaches and administration to creating policies and schedules, making necessary reports to the New Mexico Activities Association, scheduling and contracting all athletic events, securing all officials for high school contests, keeping inventory and budget for all programs and helping recommend hires and assignments for the program.

“This is a full-time job,” Balch said. “There are so many athletic activities involving Clovis students, it wouldn’t allow for refereeing or coaching on the side.”

The interviewing panel will include the district’s administration cabinet — Balch, Parker, Carrie Bunce (operations) and Joe Strickland (instruction) — Clovis High Principal Jay Brady and CHS Freshman Academy Principal John Howell.

The athletic director will report to Brady, instead of to Balch — who said there needs to be some sort of buffer between the AD and superintendent.

“I did it as Clovis High principal, and it worked,” Balch said. “Jay will be able to do it as Clovis High principal as well.”