Pope athletic director recognized by athletic administrators group

Pope softball team state champs — *Pope athletic director Josh Mathews with the Greyhounds softball team after winning the 2019 Georgia 6A state championship. (ECN file)*

Information from the Cobb County School District:

The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) recently announced that Josh Mathews, Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at Pope High School, has been recognized as a Certified Master Athletic Administrator (CMAA).
To earn the CMAA, Josh demonstrated exemplary knowledge, contributions, and on-going professional development in the field of interscholastic athletic administration. He put in many hours of his own time to earn this certification. The process included a thorough evaluation of his educational background, experience, NIAAA Leadership Courses, and professional contributions. He also had to create and submit a final presentation project.
“This is a very big deal,” said Cobb Schools Director of Athletics Don Baker. “There are only a little over 1,000 in the country, and Josh is the only one in our county with this distinction. It is a testament to Josh’s hard work and dedication to the field of athletic administration.”

Mr. Baker also received his certification as a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA). He hopes to complete his CMAA early next year. “Both Don and Josh are now part of an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide to attain this level of professionalism,” said NIAAA Executive Director Mike Blackburn.
“Gaining the CMAA designation was a goal of mine as an athletic administrator, and achieving a goal is always satisfying,” said Josh. “I appreciate those who helped me walk through my years in athletic leadership. There is no substitute for learning from others who have lived the same experiences. I would encourage more of our Athletic Directors to go through these certification processes.”
When asked how this distinction would benefit the Pope sports community, Josh immediately lightened the mood. “It means that when they receive an email from me, there will be an extra initial in the signature,” he said, smiling.
“Seriously though,” he continued, “the key takeaway from obtaining this certification is the professional development and the athletic operations required to complete it. Serving at Pope is a humbling honor because of the great people in this community—from our students to our staff, to the parents, the alumni, and so many other supportive community members. Our family truly loves being a part of the Pope Family.”
“Cobb Schools is very proud to call Josh Mathews one of its own,” said Don Baker proudly. “His passion for athletics and the Pope community is unmatched, and he does a great job leading the Greyhounds each and every day. We are lucky to have him in our District.”