Staff

Stephanie Hauser:  Executive Director

Stephanie Hauser began her role as executive director on July 1, 2021, after serving as assistant director since July 6, 2015. 

In addition to overseeing all administrative operations of the executive office, specific responsibilities include contractual interpretations, classification, elections, cheer & spirit groups, NFHS awards, and legislative and legal matters. Past duties included conference realignment and staff liaison to the Sports Medical Advisory Committee

Prior to becoming the executive director, Hauser's responsibilities as an assistant included the administration, coordination and tournament planning for the sports of gymnastics, softball and volleyball. She had also held the administrative responsibilities for the sports of track & field and cross country from 2015-2017. She was also responsible for overseeing the coaches advisory committees, as well as being the primary contact for conference realignment.

Since joining the WIAA, Hauser has been involved at the national level as well. She was appointed to a four-year term as the District 4 representative on the National Federation of State High School Association Board of Directors in July 2024. She also serves on the Education Committee. Hauser as chair of the NFHS Gymnastics Rules Committee from 2018-23. In addition, she served on the NFHS Student Services Committee and has presented on several topics at NFHS Summer Meetings. 

Hauser came to the WIAA Executive Staff from Stevens Point Area Senior High School where she is serving in her eighth year as the athletic administrator and assistant principal. Prior to her administrative role in Stevens Point, she was the assistant principal and activities director in the New London School District from 2003-07.

She was active in working with the WIAA as a member of the Sports Advisory Committee since 2009-15 and as a member of the Volleyball Coaches Advisory Committee. Hauser has also conducted presentations at the WIAA New Athletic Director Workshop and the WIAA Sportsmanship Summit. 

Other leadership experience includes serving as president of the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association and as chair of the WADA District 2 Representative and Scholarship Committee. She is certified as an athletic administrator by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, as well as, in Red Cross CPR/AED, Educator Effectiveness Calibration for Evaluation, and Drug Influence Training and Education. 

Hauser was inducted into the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2013, she was named the District 2 Athletic Director of the Year by the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.

She is a 1991 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Superior with a degree in secondary chemistry education. She received a Master’s Degree in education leadership from Marian College in 1997 and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in business administration at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She was a member of the UW-Superior women’s basketball and softball teams, and was named team captain and most valuable player of the women’s volleyball team, receiving all-conference honorable mention.

Hauser is native of Antigo, Wis., where she participated in volleyball, basketball and softball throughout her prep career as a Red Robin at Antigo High School.

Mel Dow:  Associate Director

Mel Dow began his role as associate director for the association on Aug. 2, 2021.

Dow’s responsibilities include the administration, coordination of duties and tournament planning for the sports of baseball, cross country and wrestling. In addition, he formerly included tennis in his sports administrative duties.

He has also other administrative duties include eligibility, coaching contact, camps, out-of-season participation, foreign students, sanctioning requests, staff liaison of the Sports Medical Advisory Committee, and leading respective sports' coaches committees and the 7% committee.

Dow has served as the athletics and activities director in the Stoughton School District since 2010. In addition to coordinating and administering the athletic programs and activities for grades 6-12, he supervised extensive athletic facility renovations and was a member of the Stoughton Wellness Coalition. He is credited with increasing sport participation and expanding programming during his tenure. He was also a member of committees for safety, additives, calendar and the selection of honors.

He has also made contributions at the state and national level, serving on the WIAA Sports Advisory Council from 2018-21, the WIAA Sportsmanship Committee from 2014-19 and on the Strategic Plan Committee of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association. Dow hosted and served as tournament director of the USA Wrestling World Team Trials in 2014 and 2015. In 2023, he joined the NFHS Summer Meeting Planning Committee.

Prior to his position at Stoughton, Dow spent 11 years at Prairie du Chien High School as a physical education and adaptive physical education teacher. He also served as head wrestling coach and as an assistant coach in football and track & field.

Other contributions included developing a student-athlete leadership group and serving as advisor of the Letter Winners Club, chairman of the athletic booster club, and the project chairman and designer of the weight room project. Other athletics-related experience includes founder and coach of Wisconsin’s first visually impaired national wrestling team in 1996-97, assistant wrestling coach at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1999-2000, and physical education teacher and assistant football, wrestling, and track & field coach at Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., from 1997-99.

Dow is a 1992 graduate of Prairie du Chien High School, where he participated in football, track & field and wrestling. He earned a master’s degree in education from UW-La Crosse in 2002 after receiving a bachelor of science degree in exercise and sports science from there in 1997.  

Todd Clark:  Director of Communications

Todd Clark began his role as the Association's director of communications on July 1, 2000. 

His responsibilities include overseeing the print production aspect of the association, internal and external communications, media relations, corporate marketing/sponsorships, advertising, publications, tournament records, sportsmanship, assisting with website maintenance and the football playoffs, as well as oversight of the WIAA Award of Excellence program.

At the national level, he served on the NFHS Records Committee from 2007-10 and on the NFHS Annual Summer Meeting Advisory Committee from 2009-10. In 2012, he received an NFHS citation for his outstanding contributions to high school sports. Clark also served on the NFHS Network Leadership Circle, and he served one year on the Heart of the Arts Selection Committee and was a member of the NFHS Spirit of Sport Committee from 2018-20. He has also presented on  a number of topics at the NFHS Summer Meetings.

He received the Association Friend Award presented by the Wisconsin Association of School Councils in 2007 and was bestowed the privilege to be the presider of the 2022 NFHS Hall of Fame ceremonies in San Antonio, Texas.

Clark joined the executive staff after serving nine years as the sports information director at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse from 1991-2000. Prior to the UW-La Crosse position, Clark was a sports information director assistant at Southern Illinois-Carbondale from 1990-91.

Additional sports information experience includes working as a graduate assistant at St. Cloud State University and as a student assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Other related experience included serving as a venue media chief at the 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival, and as the official scorer for the NCAA III Baseball Championships from 2000-01.

Clark earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and communication arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1985. He received a master of special studies degree in sports administration from St. Cloud State University in 1993.

Tom Shafranski:  Assistant Director

Tom Shafranski joined the WIAA staff in 2002.

His current sports administration responsibilities include football, golf, hockey and lacrosse. During his tenure on the staff, he has also handled the administrative duties for gymnastics, swimming & diving, and tennis.

Other administrative duties include oversight of the prestigious WIAA Scholar-Athlete program and staff liaison with the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.

In addition to his contributions at the State association level, he has been active in the national landscape with service on the NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Committee in 2003-04 and 2008-2011. He served as the chair of that committee in 2011, and he also served as a member of the NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules from 2005-2009.

In 2009, he has was honored as the 2009 Wisconsin High School Golf Coaches Association Friend of Golf recipient. In 2022, he was the recipient of the Andy Anderson Award presented by WADA.

Prior to joining the WIAA, he served as athletic director at Stevens Point Area High School for one year. Prior to his appointment at SPASH, he held an associate principal position at Wausau East High School for one year.

From 1996-2000, Shafranski was the activities director for grades 6-12 in the Rhinelander School District after serving as the associate principal and activities director for just the senior high school from 1993-96. Other high school administrative experience included a one-year stint as principal at Hortonville High School from 1992-93. He taught business education classes at West Bend East from 1982-87 when he was named the district's AODA coordinator in 1987. He was chosen assistant principal in 1989, a position he held from 1989-1992. 

In addition to his school responsibilities, Shafranski had been active in state and conference affiliated activities. He was an American Sport Coaches Education Program and a Program for Athletic Coaches Education instructor. He served on the WIAA Scholar-Athlete Selection Committee from 1998-2000 and was a mentor for new athletic directors for the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association. He also has served as the chairman of the Wisconsin Valley Conference Sportsmanship Committee.

Shafranski received a bachelors degree in business education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1983. He earned a masters degree in education from National Louis University in Evanston, Ill., in 1986. In 1991, he received an Administrative Leadership Certificate in School Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Kassie Mortimer:  Assistant Director

Kassie Mortimer was promoted to assistant director in December of 2020 after joining the WIAA staff in August of 2013 to fill the position of ticket coordinator/business operations assistant in the executive office.

Her responsibilities in business operations include compiling information and adjusting final yearly audits, assembling and reporting fund statements and financial statements for staff and the Board of Control, calculating and reconciling bank statements, investments and reimbursements to member schools, completing association tax reports and returns, human resources, and processing payroll and bills.

As ticketing coordinator, she prepares State Tournament tickets and executes delivery of tickets and online fulfillment to venues, State-qualifying schools, and patrons. Mortimer is also responsible for maintaining and updating ticketing software and hardware, as well as supervising and assisting ticket sales at State Tournament venues.

Mortimer manages the responsibilities as ticket coordinator/business operation, human resources as well as school enrollments. 

She is a 2013 graduate of Viterbo University with a degree in business administration and sport management & leadership. She received a Master’s Degree in sport administration/management from Concordia University in 2016. She was a member of the Viterbo University women’s volleyball team was named NAIA Scholar Athlete and received MCC Academic All-Conference recognition. Mortimer is a native of La Crosse, Wis., where she participated in volleyball, basketball and softball throughout her high school career at Aquinas High School. 

LeVar Ridgeway:  Assistant Director

LeVar Ridgeway assumed the role of assistant director on July 12, 2021.

His responsibilities include the administration, coordination of duties and tournament planning for the sports of boys basketball, soccer and swimming & diving. Other administrative duties encompass the Student-Athlete Leadership Team, created in 2024, and the staff liaison for the junior/middle-level committee. He is also engaged in a leadership role at the national level, serving on the NFHS Middle Level Committee in 2022-23 and the Hockey Rules Committee in 2023-24.

Ridgeway served as the athletics and activities director in the Shorewood School District since 2013. In that position, he coordinated and managed the athletic programs and activities for grades 7-12 and was responsible for all events, facilities, game contracts and official assignments in compliance with district and WIAA regulations.

During his eight years at Shorewood, he led a $1.5 million project to upgrade the district’s outdoor complex. He was also responsible for revamping the district’s athletic code to promote WIAA guidelines and optimize performance and participation while enhancing the communication process for students and the school community.

Prior to his position at Shorewood, Ridgeway served 12 years in the athletic department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in three different positions. In 2001, he worked as the marketing and promotions coordinator for a 13-sport Division 1 intercollegiate program. From 2002-2009, he performed the duties of the director of tickets and events, as well as managing large events and operations for more than 420 home athletic events at the Klotsche Center, U.S. Cellular Arena, Engelmann Stadium and Hank Aaron Field. His final role was as assistant athletic director for marketing and operations from 2009-13, implementing marketing programs, directing all in-game marketing and promotion responsibilities for six sports, and producing marketing and public relation campaigns.

In addition to his work experience, Ridgeway has been involved in a number of professional associations, including the Wisconsin Athletics Directors Association, National Association of Collegiate Directors, UW-Milwaukee Pantherfest, UW-Milwaukee Marketing Committee and the UW-Milwaukee Hall of Fame Committee.

Ridgeway is a native of Milwaukee. He earned a master’s degree in Leadership Studies with an emphasis in sports from Marquette University and a bachelor of science degree in Public Policy and Administration from UW-Whitewater. 

Operations Staff

 

Haley Barth Administrative Assistant to Chad Schultz	Bobby Blom Information Technology Assistant to Mark Gutknecht
Kristin Britz Administrative Assistant to Stephanie Hauser	Lisa Gagas Print Production Coordinator
Mark Gutknecht Technology Coordinator	Hydie Laidlaw Administrative Assistant to Mel Dow
Deb Lepak Administrative Assistant to Tom Shafranski	Megan Loken Graphic Designer & Social Media Specialist
Molly O'Brien Administrative Assistant to LeVar Ridgeway	Candace Ostertag Administrative Assistant to Melissa Gehring
Sheila Schulfer Administrative Assistant to Kassie Mortimer	Sandy Zastrow Printer