Charles to retire as DIAA executive director

Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association executive director Kevin Charles (right) and then-board chairman Jerry Kobasa listen as officials from Red Lion Christian Academy ask the board to reinstate the school on Jan. 19, 2012.

As executive director of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association, Kevin Charles makes several decisions every day.

He made a big decision Monday, to publicly announce his retirement effective June 30. And he has already made a decision about what he will do next.

“I actually do have some initial, specific plans,” Charles said. “Basically, to make no decisions for six months. … I’ve pretty much worked without any significant leave for 40 years. As I told Dr. Godowsky, I felt like it was time for some Kevin time.”

Charles, 62, submitted a letter stating his decision to retire to Secretary of Education Steven Godowsky and DIAA board chairperson Terre Taylor on March 1. He did so to give Godowsky and the board time to find a successor before DIAA’s board meeting on June 9.

Charles has served as executive director of the governing body of Delaware high school sports for the last 11 years. He came to DIAA as coordinator of officials and events in 2004, then took over as executive director the following year when Jack Holloway stepped down to become athletic director at Tower Hill.

“I had already targeted 62 as kind of a decision-making point for me,” Charles said. “It would just kind of depend on what the circumstances were with my life. For me and my family, it just seemed like this is the right time.

“There are no underlying health issues or another job waiting in the wings or anything like that. It’s just that the timing felt right to me.”

Charles said he would like to travel with his wife, Sharon, play golf and spend more time with his five grandchildren.

“Professionally, it’s a sad day to lose a great leader and a great man,” said Tommie Neubauer, who has worked alongside Charles as DIAA’s coordinator of officials and events since 2005. “But personally, knowing how hard he has worked 40 years for the state, it’s a great thing for him to move on in life. … He’s done a lot for me in our 11 years, taught me a lot, and I’m really appreciative.”

Prior to working at DIAA, Charles served in the Delaware Division of Public Health as section chief in charge of health systems protection.

DIAA’s winter sports season concluded last Friday and Saturday with the girls and boys basketball state tournament championship games at the Bob Carpenter Center. In the fall, a record 10,094 fans attended Smyrna’s 32-26 victory over Salesianum in the DIAA Division I football championship game at Delaware Stadium.

“It’s been a great year for DIAA,” Charles said. “We’ve had a really good year thus far. So it seems like a good time to walk away and let somebody else take it to the next level.”

Looking back at his tenure, Charles said he is proud of DIAA’s addition of Unified sports in partnership with Special Olympics Delaware, and improvements in health and safety regulations in several sports.

He also saluted all of the 24 DIAA committees that help administer each sport. DIAA has only three paid employees – Charles, Neubauer and administrative assistant Tina Bates.

“A lot of them have been with me the entire time I’ve been executive director,” Charles said of the committee members. “They are volunteers. They do it because they love the sport and love high school, education-based athletics.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ