By James Feichtner
A big part of the high school experience is high school sports and with that, an athletic director comes hand in hand. For Mt. Vernon High School, the absence of an athletic director has been ongoing for four years, being split between assistant principals. The position was eliminated due to budget constraints back in 2011, but now the position is being filled starting this July.
Mt. Vernon School Corporation has hired on Brandon Ecker as the new athletic director. Beginning officially July 1, Ecker will take over the previously defunct role.
“Brandon’s reputation precedes him as an outstanding team leader with his intuitive leadership style and strong moral ethics,” MVHS Principal Bernie Campbell said. “Out of 86 applicants for this position, we are very pleased to have selected the strongest candidate with experience that will lead Mt. Vernon’s athletic program through the next generation.”
Ecker comes to Mt. Vernon with previous experience as an athletic director of New Castle and Shelbyville high schools, and has also worked as a teacher at Richmond County and Union Alternative high schools.
“I am really looking forward to working as a team at Mt. Vernon High School,” Ecker said. “The dedication to education and providing a sound competitive athletic program are a priority at Mt. Vernon, and I plan to continue to helping to develop good citizens and prepare the students for a successful future.”
Ecker was nominated as a Junior Director representing District 4 for the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association. The IIAAA is the organization that works with the IHSAA on behalf of the schools. Since he will be continuing to work at a school in the Hoosier Heritage Conference, he will maintain this role while at Mt. Vernon. In the year 2016-2017, Ecker will become a senior director for IIAAA.
