Feb 10, 2010 10:04:26 AM

Bob Gardner, who has served as chief operating officer of the National Federation of State High School Associations for the past 10 years, has been selected as the organization's next executive director. 

Gardner will succeed Robert Kanaby, who will retire in May after serving as NFHS executive director for the past 17 years. Gardner will be the sixth executive director in the 90-year history of the NFHS, which is the national leadership organization for high school athletics and fine arts activities.

"Bob Gardner has a long and successful background with our member state associations, along with his outstanding work as the chief operating officer for the past 10 years," said Ennis Proctor, executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association and current NFHS president. "Our board believes he is the ideal candidate to continue to move this organization forward in the years to come."

Gardner, 61, has been involved in high school athletics in the state of Indiana throughout his 40-year career in secondary education. He started as a teacher and coach in 1970 and concluded as commissioner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association for five years before joining the NFHS staff in 2000.

As chief operating officer of the NFHS since July 1, 2000, Gardner has chaired the NFHS Rules Review Committee, an internal committee composed of all NFHS rules editors. He has been responsible for NFHS insurance programs and the NFHS committee nomination process. He represented the NFHS on the NCAA Anti-Gambling Task Force, has been a presenter at numerous state and national meetings, and has served on the USA Football Board of Directors.

Previous executive directors of the NFHS were L.W. Smith (1920-27), C.W. Whitten (1927-40), H.V. Porter (1940-58), Cliff Fagan (1958-77), Brice Durbin (1977-93) and Kanaby (1993-2010).