Fenton Principal Bakker Selected as MHSAA's Charles E. Forsythe Award Honoree
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 11, 2026
An educator who has served in several roles – as a teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant principal and for the last four years principal at Fenton High School – Mike Bakker is able to draw from a wealth of experiences as he serves students not only in his school district but as a statewide decision-maker and leader.
In recognition of his several contributions over the last two decades, especially to educational athletics, Bakker has been selected to receive this year’s MHSAA Charles E. Forsythe Lifetime Achievement Award.
The annual award is in its 49th year and named after past MHSAA Executive Director Charles E. Forsythe, the Association's first full-time and longest-serving chief executive. Forsythe Award recipients are selected each year by the MHSAA Representative Council, based on an individual's outstanding contributions to the interscholastic athletics community at the local, regional and statewide levels. Bakker will be honored this weekend during the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) annual conference in Traverse City.
Bakker began his professional career at Mason High School. He was hired initially as the boys tennis coach while still a junior in college, and then served twice as a long-term substitute teacher before being hired full time and teaching mathematics and statistics, serving as a club advisor and coaching girls and boys swimming & diving in addition to tennis. He moved to Fenton Area Public Schools as the middle and high school athletic director and assistant principal in 2004. Bakker became interim principal midway through the 2021-22 school year, with that promotion made permanent that March.
“I do think that because I’ve held all of those different roles, I still have all of those connections, and there are other athletic directors who have gone on to become principals and those are the people I reach out to – I know they have a passion for making sure everybody, because of the positions they’ve held, has success in different areas,” Bakker said. “Working in athletics so long, and helping those students find success and helping coaches find success, helped me help students who are not in athletics have success. It’s provided a pretty awesome opportunity and perspective to see how the system works and how to help students be successful and help teachers and coaches be successful.”
Bakker’s contributions have long stretched beyond his classroom and office duties as well. Locally, he’s served on the Fenton Education Foundation board of directors for two decades. As athletic director, he hosted more than 125 MHSAA Tournaments over 17 years and served on a dozen MHSAA committees.
Bakker also has been a member of both the MIAAA – the state’s professional organization for athletic administrators – and National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) for 22 years and has served in several leadership roles with the MIAAA including as president during the 2015-16 school year and as assistant executive director since 2018.
Bakker also is serving his second school year as a member of the MHSAA Representative Council.
“As someone who has dedicated himself to education and served in various roles over the last 25 years, Mike Bakker has gained a broad perspective that has helped shape his leadership – and he continues to give more of himself with his contributions at the MHSAA and MIAAA leadership levels,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “As a member of the Representative Council, he provides input on how decisions could affect all groups involved, and our schools are fortunate to have his valuable voice and viewpoint.”
Bakker also has been a member of both the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) and National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) for 15 years. As a coach he was a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (MISCA) and served as a Zone representative from 2001-04.
Bakker was selected as the MIAAA’s Region 9 Athletic Director of the Year in 2010, and as its statewide Tom Rashid Athletic Director of the Year for 2020-21. He also was named Athletic Director of the Year in 2021 by the Michigan High School Coaches Association.
“For me, being an educator, and part of why I went into education and administration, was to help in the education process of the whole student. That doesn’t include just the classroom walls from the first bell to the last bell,” Bakker said. “To really impact kids, you have to build relationships, meet them where they’re at, and you have to help them find success not just in the classroom but out(side it), to help them become better than they thought they could be. … Even when I was athletic director, I still going and seeing kids perform in other things, and I was in charge of clubs as the athletic director, and all of those things allowed me to help meet students where they are and where their needs are as they are figuring out who they want to be when they leave.”
A 1994 graduate of Rochester High School – where he swam and played soccer, tennis and basketball – Bakker earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Michigan State University in 1998 and his secondary teaching certificate from MSU in 2000. He earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from MSU in 2004 and a master’s in sports administration from Eastern Michigan University in 2011. He also received his certified master athletic administrator designation from the NIAAA in 2011.
Bakker and his wife Denise have been married for 23 years and have three children – sons Jasper and Tristan and daughter Paige.
Past recipients of the Charles E. Forsythe Award
1978 - Brick Fowler, Port Huron; Paul Smarks, Warren
1979 - Earl Messner, Reed City; Howard Beatty, Saginaw
1980 - Max Carey, Freesoil
1981 - Steven Sluka, Grand Haven; Samuel Madden, Detroit
1982 - Ernest Buckholz, Mt. Clemens; T. Arthur Treloar, Petoskey
1983 - Leroy Dues, Detroit; Richard Maher, Sturgis
1984 - William Hart, Marquette; Donald Stamats, Caro
1985 - John Cotton, Farmington; Robert James, Warren
1986 - William Robinson, Detroit; Irving Soderland, Norway
1987 - Jack Streidl, Plainwell; Wayne Hellenga, Decatur
1988 - Jack Johnson, Dearborn; Alan Williams, North Adams
1989 - Walter Bazylewicz, Berkley; Dennis Kiley, Jackson
1990 - Webster Morrison, Pickford; Herbert Quade, Benton Harbor
1991 - Clifford Buckmaster, Petoskey; Donald Domke, Northville
1992 - William Maskill, Kalamazoo; Thomas G. McShannock, Muskegon
1993 - Roy A. Allen Jr., Detroit; John Duncan, Cedarville
1994 - Kermit Ambrose, Royal Oak
1995 - Bob Perry, Lowell
1996 - Charles H. Jones, Royal Oak
1997 - Michael A. Foster, Richland; Robert G. Grimes, Battle Creek
1998 - Lofton C. Greene, River Rouge; Joseph J. Todey, Essexville
1999 - Bernie Larson, Battle Creek
2000 - Blake Hagman, Kalamazoo; Jerry Cvengros, Escanaba
2001 - Norm Johnson, Bangor; George Lovich, Canton
2002 - John Fundukian, Novi
2003 - Ken Semelsberger, Port Huron
2004 - Marco Marcet, Frankenmuth
2005 - Jim Feldkamp, Troy
2006 - Dan McShannock, Midland; Dail Prucka, Monroe
2007 - Keith Eldred, Williamston; Tom Hickman, Spring Lake
2008 - Jamie Gent, Haslett; William Newkirk, Sanford Meridian
2009 - Paul Ellinger, Cheboygan
2010 - Rudy Godefroidt, Hemlock; Mike Boyd, Waterford
2011 - Eric C. Federico, Trenton
2012 - Bill Mick, Midland
2013 - Jim Gilmore, Tecumseh; Dave Hutton, Grandville
2014 - Dan Flynn, Escanaba
2015 - Hugh Matson, Saginaw
2016 - Gary Hice, Petoskey; Gina Mazzolini, Lansing
2017 - Chuck Nurek, Rochester Hills
2018 - Gary Ellis, Allegan
2019 - Jim Derocher, Negaunee; Fredrick J. Smith, Stevensville
2020 - Michael Garvey, Lawton
2021 – Leroy Hackley Jr., Byron Center; Patti Tibaldi, Traverse City
2022 – Bruce Horsch, Houghton
2023 – Karen Leinaar, Frankfort
2024 – Sean Jacques, Calumet
2025 – Kris Isom, Adrian
PHOTOS (Top) Fenton's Mike Bakker monitors activities from the field during a Tigers football game. (Middle) Bakker, left, takes a photo with daughter Paige and wife Denise as Paige holds the Flint Metro League volleyball championship trophy. (Photos provided by Mike Bakker.)
Uyl to Serve as MHSAA's Next Executive Director
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 8, 2018
Mark Uyl's impact on educational athletics has stretched from his hometown across this state and our country as a teacher, coach, administrator and one of the nation's most respected voices in sport officiating.
The Caledonia native and assistant director for the Michigan High School Athletic Association over the last 14 years is now charged with leading the Association as it continues in the work he has championed for two decades.
Uyl, 44, has been selected as the next executive director of the MHSAA by its Representative Council. He will succeed retiring Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts in August. Roberts, who has served as executive director since the fall of 1986, announced his retirement April 24.
Uyl joined the MHSAA staff in January 2004 and coordinates the Association’s nearly 10,000 officials in addition to serving as director of baseball and administrator of the MHSAA’s catastrophic and concussion care insurance plans. He also has served as director of cross country and wrestling during his tenure.
As assistant director, Uyl was instrumental as the MHSAA became the first state high school athletics association to offer concussion care insurance, which provides gap coverage to assist in covering costs for athletes who are injured while participating in MHSAA-sponsored sports. As an official himself, Uyl has worked to build a stronger relationship with those working high school events that has included an increase in training and support. As a sport director, Uyl has sought to create the best experiences for Michigan high school teams, including with the move of the MHSAA Baseball and Softball Finals to Michigan State University in 2014.
“The foundation built here by Jack Roberts over the last 32 years is the strongest in the country, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead our staff in building on that foundation,” Uyl said. “There will be many ways we’ll continue to protect the same values of educational athletics, while also looking for new ways and new opportunities to best serve the students and our member schools in Michigan.”
In addition to his full-time MHSAA duties, Uyl has officiated collegiate baseball since 1997 and is regarded as one of the best at that level. In addition to umpiring major conference baseball all over the United States, Uyl was part of the crews for the 2014 and 2017 College World Series. He also officiated college football for 12 years with several NCAA postseason assignments, and did serve as coordinator of officials for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. He was registered with the MHSAA for at least three sports beginning in 1992 and worked the Baseball Finals in 1999.
Additionally, Uyl served on the board of directors of the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) from 2012-15 and as its chairperson during his final year. Currently, he serves as the high school representative on the Officiating Development Alliance (ODA), which consists of the supervisors of officials for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, CFL, MLS and NCAA Division I sports.
The Council made its decision at the conclusion of its annual Spring Meeting on May 7 in Gaylord. Uyl will become only the fifth full-time executive in the MHSAA’s 94-year history, following Charles E. Forsythe (1931-42, 1945-68), Allen W. Bush (1968-78), Vern L. Norris (1978-86) and Roberts.
“Mark has spent the past 14 years as a highly effective assistant director for the MHSAA,” said Representative Council President Scott Grimes, who serves as Assistant Superintendent of Human Services for Grand Haven Area Public Schools. “He is a proven leader in the organization committed to providing outstanding service to both internal and external constituents. The positive relationships he has fostered with school administrators will help make this a very smooth transition.”
Prior to his time at the MHSAA, Uyl first taught and coached and then served as athletic director and assistant principal at Middleville-Thornapple Kellogg High School, the latter from 2001-03. Before becoming an administrator there, Uyl served as athletic director at Caledonia High School in 2000-01.
During his tenure as an assistant director at the MHSAA, Uyl also served a four-year term on the Baseball Committee for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
“Mark was the obvious choice to become the next executive director of the MHSAA,” Roberts said. “Mark has the proper student-focused perspective of educational athletics, excellent person-to-person communications skills and a deep practical understanding of what is happening day to day in school sports in our state and nationally.”
Uyl graduated from Caledonia High School in 1992, and from Calvin College in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in history and physical education. He later received a master’s in educational leadership from Grand Valley State University. At Calvin, Uyl was a four-year starter on the baseball team, earning all-conference honors twice and serving as team captain.
Uyl resides in DeWitt with his wife Marcy, an accomplished educator and coach who has served as a high school varsity basketball coach since 1994. They have three children: Jackson (17), Grant (15) and Madison (11).
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
PHOTOS: (Top) MHSAA Assistant Director Mark Uyl provides pointers to football officials during a summer clinic in 2011. (Middle) Uyl speaks at the NASO officiating summit in 2013 in Grand Rapids.