Brandon Clark
Kevin Simmerman, CMAA, serves as Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kansas, where he provides leadership and oversight for all Jaguar athletic programs, including dance and cheer. A veteran educational administrator with more than three decades of experience, Kevin is deeply committed to fostering excellence in education-based athletics and ensuring that student-athletes represent their schools with pride, discipline, and integrity. Kevin began his athletic administration career in 1997 and has served in leadership roles across multiple school districts in Nebraska and Kansas, including positions as Activities Director and Assistant Principal. Prior to joining Blue Valley West in 2021, he spent 27 years in Nebraska education, developing a strong foundation in leadership, student support, school operations, and coaching. He holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Physical Education/Fitness and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. In addition to his athletic responsibilities, Kevin oversees facilities, fundraising, student travel, and serves as a liaison to parent booster organizations, while remaining a visible and supportive presence for students each day. At the state and national levels, Kevin has been a long-standing leader in interscholastic athletics. He has served on the Nebraska State Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NSIAAA) Executive Board, including terms as Vice President, President-Elect, and President, and currently serves as the LTI/Certification State Coordinator for the KIAAA. Nationally, he is active with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) as Chair of the Coaches Education Committee, a Leadership Training Institute (LTI) instructor, workshop presenter, and strategic planning committee member for the NIAAA 4th Strategic Plan. Kevin was awarded the NIAAA Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award in 2018 and received the NFHS Citation in 2021.
Jeff Long
Jeff Long is a nationally respected leader in intercollegiate athletics, with more than four decades of experience as a Division I coach and administrator. Throughout his career, Long has served as Athletics Director at the University of Kansas, the University of Arkansas, the University of Pittsburgh, and Eastern Kentucky University, while also gaining extensive experience at eight additional Football Bowl Subdivision institutions. His career spans all four Power Four conferences—the Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, and SEC—and includes a formative 10-year tenure at the University of Michigan. Long is widely regarded as one of the most influential and trusted voices in college athletics. In recognition of his leadership and integrity, he was selected as the first-ever Chairman of the College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee, serving in that role for the inaugural CFP seasons in 2014 and 2015. He remained a member of the committee through 2017 and was invited to return for an additional term on the 2025 CFP Selection Committee—an uncommon distinction that underscores the enduring respect he commands within intercollegiate athletics. In 2015, Long was named Athletic Director of the Year by Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily, and he was also a finalist for the honor in 2012. His service to collegiate sports governance includes prior membership on the NCAA Management Council, the NCAA Sports Wagering Task Force, and the NCAA Championships and Sports Management Cabinet. In addition, he served on the Executive Committee of the Division I-A Athletic Directors’ Association. An Ohio native, Long was a two-sport student-athlete at Ohio Wesleyan University, earning seven varsity letters in football and baseball before graduating with a degree in economics in 1982. He earned a master’s degree in education from Miami University while serving as a graduate assistant football coach. Long then held football staff positions at North Carolina State, Duke, Rice, and Michigan before transitioning into athletics administration at Michigan. Long and his wife, Fanny, a graduate of the University of Michigan, have two daughters. Stephanie earned her PhD from the University of Arkansas in cognitive neuroscience, and Christina graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Rob Miller
Rob Miller is a nationally known motivational speaker and a partner in Proactive Coaching with Bruce Brown. Rob played college basketball for 4 years and has coached at the collegiate (men’s basketball), high school (boys and girls basketball and track and field) and youth levels. He is the former NAIA National Director of “Champions of Character” program. Rob uses his speaking skills and coaching knowledge to promote the Proactive Coaching Mission of helping athletic directors and coaches positively impact their athletes’ lives. Miller served as commissioner of the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference for over 10 years and in 2025 was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. He lives in Liberty, MO with his wife Susan. They have one daughter, Kendall, who resides in Wisconsin.
Valorie Kondos Field
Valorie Kondos Field is the former head coach of the UCLA Gymnastics Team, a position she held for 29 years. Her accolades include: 7 X NCAA Team Champions 4X NCAA Coach of the Year PAC12 Coach of the Century UCLA Hall of Fame Inductee “Miss Val,” as she is affectionately known, proved that one can achieve success at the highest level while honoring her student-athletes as people first. She has been known to unflinchingly respond when asked “What is your calling?” … “I develop SuperHeroes.” Valorie began her career as a professional ballet dancer and choreographer. She began her coaching career in 1982 as an assistant coach for the UCLA Gymnastics team, and in 1989 was asked to take over as head coach. Her determination to figure out how to be successful in a world in which she had no knowledge is the backdrop for her book Life is Short, Don’t Wait to Dance, her speaking engagements, and her TED Talk which has over 6 million views. For many of these reasons, Miss Val has been hailed by her former student-athletes as the original Ted Lasso. Miss Val also teaches a Leadership course at UCLA in the master’s program for the Graduate School of Education. She also teaches a similar course at the University of Arkansas entitled, Leadership from Lincoln to Lasso. As a breast cancer survivor, Valorie’s discussion of life lessons is even more impactful. Since beating breast cancer through medical science as well as making Gratitude her default, she developed her life motto: Life is Short, Don’t Wait to Dance.