Connecticut's Niehoff to Head NFHS
April 25, 2018
Special from NFHS
Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CAS-CIAC) the past seven years, has been selected as the next executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), effective Aug. 1.
Niehoff was chosen from among four finalists by the NFHS Board of Directors at meetings last week in Indianapolis. She will succeed Bob Gardner, who is retiring this summer after eight years as NFHS executive director and 48 years in secondary education, including the final 18 years on the NFHS staff in Indianapolis.
“Faced with an overwhelming response from outstanding candidates from across the nation, we are pleased to welcome the next NFHS Executive Director, Karissa Niehoff,” said Jerome Singleton, president of the NFHS Board of Directors and commissioner of the South Carolina High School League. “She displays all the qualities we were seeking and beyond. It goes without saying, Bob Gardner is a hard act to follow as he will be regaled as a world-class director, peer and true fan of high school activities and athletics.
“I speak for myself and the Board of Directors when I share that the final four candidates were more than qualified with unique leadership styles and expertise in various fields of athletics and activities. Ms. Niehoff brings a stellar background in athletic administration, team participation and large-scale leadership. She displays the characteristics of a natural leader who will forge forward only to enhance the tradition of excellence in all NFHS programs.
“I am anticipating some exciting advancements in every aspect of the NFHS which, in turn, will broaden offerings at the state and local levels for NFHS members. We thank each applicant as it was a tedious process and difficult task for all involved. Congratulations to Karissa Niehoff on her new role as Executive Director as well as the extensive accomplishments and experience she earned over her impressive career,” Singleton concluded.
Niehoff, who has directed the NFHS-member CIAC since January 2011, will be the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS, which will celebrate its 100th year of service during the 2018-19 school year.
Previous full-time executive directors of the NFHS are the late H.V. Porter (1940-58) and Cliff Fagan (1958-77), along with Brice Durbin (1977-93), Bob Kanaby (1993-2010) and Gardner (2010-18).
“I am truly humbled with this opportunity – what a privilege to serve as the next executive director of the NFHS,” Niehoff said. “I am excited to work with the staff and to be able to serve the 51 member state associations – picking up on what has already been accomplished to serve as the national leader in the world of education-based athletics and activities. I believe the NFHS is on the cusp of some exciting new opportunities for students in high school athletics and activities, and I consider it an honor to have been selected to lead this organization.”
Niehoff was named deputy executive director of CAS-CIAC in July 2010 and assumed the executive director’s position the following January. She began her career in Connecticut public education in 1989 as a physical education instructor at Greenwich High School. In the succeeding years, she was a teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant principal and principal at the middle school and high school levels.
Niehoff was a highly successful field hockey coach at Litchfield High School and Joel Barlow High School with four conference titles and one state championship. Niehoff also coached high school volleyball, softball, basketball and track. In 2000, Niehoff was appointed assistant principal of Har-Bur Middle School in Burlington. Four years later, she assumed the position of principal of Lewis Mills High School, a post she held until joining the Connecticut association.
At the national level, Niehoff has served on the NFHS Board of Directors the past three years, including a term this year as president-elect. She is currently chair of the NFHS Field Hockey Rules Committee and recently completed a term on the NFHS Student Services Committee. Niehoff also served 10 years on the United States Field Hockey Association Board of Ethics and was the field hockey program leader in 1996 at the International Youth Camp during the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Niehoff served on the Education Committee of the United States Olympic Committee, authoring the “OlympiKids School Celebration Guide,” acting as U.S. delegate to International Olympic Academies in Greece and Canada, and representing the USOC at numerous national conventions, conferences and educational programs. She was co-founder and dean of the “Passing The Torch” Academy For Youth Sport Leadership, a USOC initiative to promote leadership and the spirit of Olympism within the realm of youth sport. In 1997, she coached a girls basketball team at the World Scholar Athlete Games, which involved more than 2,000 coaches and athletes from 150 countries.
Prior to joining the Connecticut association, Niehoff served on numerous CAS and CIAC boards and committees, including the Field Hockey Committee, CIAC Board of Control and as chair of the Sportsmanship Committee.
Niehoff earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, a master’s from Southern Connecticut State University, a sixth-year degree in educational leadership from Central Connecticut State University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Connecticut.
Niehoff, who was the sixth woman in 2010 to lead a state high school association on a full-time basis, has been inducted into multiple women’s sports halls of fame. She also has conducted numerous professional development workshops and presentations at the local, regional and national levels in the fields of education, athletics and leadership.
East Kentwood’s Brumels, Gull Lake’s Furlong, East Lansing’s Norris Selected for Bush Awards
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 23, 2025
East Kentwood athletic director Blaine Brumels, Richland Gull Lake athletic director Karyn Furlong and East Lansing athletic director Nikki Norris are widely regarded as exemplary event hosts after decades of managing countless Michigan High School Athletic Association tournament competitions at their respective schools – and also thriving in leadership positions at the Finals championship level.
Their expertise in fulfilling this essential role in MHSAA postseason play is among several reasons Brumels, Furlong and Norris have been honored as the 2025 recipients of the MHSAA’s Allen W. Bush Award.
Al Bush served as executive director of the MHSAA for 10 years. The award honors individuals for past and continuing service to school athletics as a coach, administrator, official, trainer, doctor or member of the media. The award was developed to bring recognition to people who are giving and serving locally, regionally or statewide without a lot of attention. This is the 34th year of the award.
For 20 years, Brumels has directed the athletic department for what is currently the largest (by enrollment) school in the MHSAA high school membership with nearly 3,000 students and 30 varsity athletic teams. This is his 34th year total with Kentwood schools and 40th in education.
Brumels came to his longtime district after six years at Fremont, where he taught and coached track & field, football and junior varsity basketball. He spent his first year in Kentwood at the middle school level before moving to the high school as a teacher, and he later assisted in managing athletic events before eventually becoming the athletic director.
Under Brumels’ leadership, East Kentwood has hosted several MHSAA postseason events including Track & Field and Soccer Finals; this season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Track & Field Finals will be competed there on May 31. Brumels also has served on several MHSAA committees over his tenure, assisting with selection of basketball and volleyball sites, competitive cheer judges and annual awards. He was named the Regional 4 Athletic Director of the Year in 2016 by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA).
Brumels has filled several more roles at East Kentwood, including as department chair and MEAP coordinator for mathematics, curriculum council representative, intramural and KIDS program director and senior class advisor, and he has also served on the board for Byron Center Christian School. Brumels earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics with an emphasis on education from Hope College in 1985 and his master’s in educational leadership from Grand Valley State University in 1992.
“Blaine Brumels is a consummate professional who embraces the philosophy of educational athletics as well as any athletic director in the state – that sports can provide lifelong lessons whether students are state champions or role players on a team,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “Blaine has been a significant part of passing on those lessons not just through athletics but in several roles as a champion of Kentwood Public Schools and loyal member of the Kentwood community for more than three decades.”
Furlong has served as athletic director at Richland Gull Lake High School for 11 years and has contributed to her district for nearly three decades, as she also served as varsity volleyball coach for 19 seasons before stepping down after the 2014 season.
As athletic director, Furlong has served on several MHSAA committees including those for officials and site selection for various sports, and she’s part of the administrative teams at the Girls Volleyball and Team Wrestling Finals. She’s currently serving as the MIAAA Region 5 representative, and she’s served as Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference (SMAC) chairperson for volleyball, competitive cheer, golf, wrestling and basketball. Furlong was named Michigan Wrestling Coaches Athletic Director of the Year in 2023 and Region 5 Athletic Director of the Year by the MIAAA in 2024.
As a coach, Furlong was named Wolverine Conference Coach of the Year multiple seasons and twice Regional Coach of the Year by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA). She also has been a registered official the last two school years, currently in volleyball, cross country and track & field.
Prior to taking over at Gull Lake, Furlong served as director of volleyball for nearly 12 years at Courthouse Athletic Center in Kalamazoo and was an event coordinator for the Gull Lake athletic department for two years. She has helped coordinate youth wrestling and basketball programs in the Gull Lake community and worked with the Gull Lake Area Rotary on several events. She earned her bachelor’s degree in finance and business law in 1997 and master’s in sport and fitness administration management in 2003, both from Western Michigan University.
“Karyn Furlong genuinely cares about enriching her community and the kids growing up in Gull Lake. Whether it’s in the building of facilities or managing of programs or hiring of personnel, she always has the end goal of helping students in her school become better people,” Uyl said. “She’s also become a go-to voice in the athletic director community, especially in southwestern Michigan, on how to host events and provide great hospitality to visiting teams and their spectators. It’s that dedication and care that has made her an admired leader locally and across the state.”
Norris is completing her seventh year as athletic director at East Lansing High School after eight in that position for Corunna Public Schools. She previously taught for six years at Carson City-Crystal and then 11 at Corunna before taking over the Cavaliers’ athletic department during the summer of 2010. She also coached volleyball at multiple levels over more than 15 years including Corunna’s varsity for seven seasons over two tenures, and coached high school basketball for a combined eight years during her time at the two schools where she taught. Additionally, she has served as an MHSAA registered volleyball official for a total of 15 years.
Her schools have hosted various MHSAA Tournament events in multiple sports, and she’s served on every type of MHSAA Committee, providing input on a variety of sports and selection of tournament sites, officials and Scholar-Athlete Award honorees. She also annually contributes as a tournament administrator at the Girls Volleyball and Softball/Baseball/Girls Soccer Finals.
Norris served as MIAAA president in 2021 and 2022 and was named Region 7 Athletic Director of the Year in 2016. She has received “Certified Athletic Administrator” designation from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) and was honored with the MHSAA Women In Sports Leadership Award in 2020.
A 1987 graduate of Ithaca High School, Norris received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Alma College and then earned master’s degrees in biological sciences from Michigan State University and educational leadership from American College of Education.
“Nikki Norris is the ultimate utility player in athletic administration. She knows the ins and outs of every sporting event and understands which problems are unique to high school athletics and how to solve them,” Uyl said. “She’s a school-first, sports-second type of athletic director who prioritizes the development of the whole student, and that philosophy and knowledge have made her very well-respected in her field.”
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.