Don Hinton will retire as Executive Director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA), effective December 31, 2020.
Hinton joined the MHSAA staff on January 1, 2011 and was elevated to MHSAA Executive Director on July 1, 2011 following the retirement of Dr. Ennis Proctor.
Mr. Hinton informed the MHSAA Executive Committee of his decision Tuesday morning. He turns 65 in October.
“I really felt when I arrived at the association that I’d like to work here for 10 years,” Hinton said. “It’s been a blessing and a great experience to be able to serve in this position. I’m very thankful for the opportunity.”
“There will be a time to reflect on the these 10 years, but right now our MHSAA staff and the Executive Committee are focused on an unprecedented challenge with the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s an enormous task facing the association, our member schools and their administrators, our state leaders as well as every community across Mississippi. It’s going to take all of our best efforts as circumstances can change literally by the day or even by the hour.”
“My goal now and for these next six months is the same as when I became Executive Director in 2011: Let’s focus on doing what’s best for our students and schools in Mississippi.”
Kalvin Robinson, President of the MHSAA Executive Committee and Assistant Superintendent for Madison County Schools, said the committee — made up of 15 school administrators from throughout the state — will begin the process of selecting Mr. Hinton’s replacement in the next few weeks.
“I’ve been a part of the committee since Mr. Hinton came on board,” Mr. Robinson said. “We thank him for his 9½ years of service and we’re looking forward to the next 6 months. He’s been a first-class leader the whole time.
“We’ll talk further about choosing his successor at the Executive Committee meeting on July 14th. We expect a lot of good candidates to be interested. We’ll conduct a thorough process to find the best one.”
