Episode 256: Coach Joshua Mathews (Athletic Director Pope High School) Coach Don Baker (Athletic Director Cobb County Schools) "Building Collaboration on your Coaching Staff"

Don Baker.... Director of Athletics for the Cobb County School District in Georgia. He attended Valdosta State University receiving a degree in Secondary Education in 2000. He earned a Master of Educational Leadership from Jacksonville State University in 2005 followed by a Specialist in Educational Leadership from The University of West Georgia in 2018. Don was an assistant coach at Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Ga. where he was a member of the 1998 state championship football coaching staff following a playing career at Valdosta High School where he was a member of the 1992 state and national football championship team and where he also served as a defensive captain on the school’s 1995 state runner-up team. Following his time in Valdosta, Don served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, and athletic director at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Kennesaw, Ga. from 2000-2019. Don was named the Region 3-7A Athletic Director of the Year in 2017 and was named the Cobb County Athletic Director of the year for the 2018-19 school year. He is a member of the Georgia Athletic Director’s Association (GADA) and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) and has served as a speaker at the GADA. @DonBaker0495 [email protected] Josh Mathews...Athletics Director at Pope High School in Marietta, GA (East Cobb) since July 2012.  He attended Shorter College, where he played baseball from 1997-2001 receiving a degree in middle grade education.  In 2007, Josh received his master’s in educational leadership from Jacksonville State University.  Started his career coaching in 2001 at Centennial High School (Roswell, GA) before moving to Lassiter High School (Marietta, GA) in 2005.  He was a part of state championship coaching staffs in 2006 (baseball) and 2007 (softball).  Since becoming AD at Pope, the Greyhounds have won several region and state championships and achieved two GADA Regions Bank Directors Cup Awards, recognizing the top athletic programs in the state.  Josh has been an active member of the GADA and NIAAA since becoming AD in 2012.  He regularly attends the state and national conventions and received his Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA) certification in 2016.  Finally, Josh was named Region AD of the Year in 2015 and 2017 and was the GADA 6A AD of the Year in 2017. @jwmathews14 [email protected]