A long-serving member of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association has announced his retirement.
Todd Clark, whose held the position of Director of Communications with the WIAA for the last 26-plus years, announced Tuesday (July 21st) that he’ll retire effective January 15th, 2027.
“It’s been a great ride, but I have some things I’d still like to do, especially travelling,” he told SeehaferNews.com. “I look forward to having my successor envelope the importance of serving people and taking that to the next level.”
Clark earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and communication arts from UW-Madison in 1985, beginning his career in Sports Administration as a sports information director at Southern Illinois-Carbondale in 1990.
He then became the Sports Information Director at UW-LaCrosse in 1991, serving in that capacity for nine years before joining the WIAA in 2000 as Director of Communications until the present day.
In an exclusive interview with seehafernews.com, he told us those experiences were invaluable in shaping his nearly four decades of serving people.
“Through those previous jobs, it gave me a wide range of knowledge from learning how to serve student-athletes, media, and the public,” he explained. “They prepared me to move on to my current role at the WIAA, which I’ve enjoyed for the last 26-plus years.”
His responsibilities included overseeing all aspects of sports internal and external information communications, media relations, corporate marketing and sponsorships, advertising, tournament records and sportsmanship.
Clark also managed the WIAA Award of Excellence and Spirit of Sport programs and was a regular contributor of editorial content for the WIAA Bulletin.
He says ever-evolving technology has provided the biggest change during his tenure but admits the biggest challenge during his career was navigating through COVID-19.
“Whoever thought that we’d lose an entire sports season and move forward with restrictions just to compete the following year?” Clark said. “Don’t ever take anything for granted and enjoy every moment because, to be honest, who saw that (COVID-19) coming?”
Nationally, Clark served on the National Federation of State High School Associations Records Committee, the NFHS Annual Summer Meeting Advisory and Spirit of Sport Committees, receiving an NFHS citation for his outstanding contributions to high school sports in 2012.
Other accolades include receiving the Association of School Councils Friend Award, emceed the 2022 NFHS Hall of Fame ceremony in San Antonio, Texas, along with the WIAA Scholar-Athlete Ceremonies in 2025 and 2026.
Clark says the greatest joy he got was seeing student-athletes mature to become productive members of society
“Whether it’s making a free throw to win the game or you miss it, it’s a way to learn and get back up to do it again,” he noted. “There are lessons to learn from failure, especially how you react to it and become better because of it.”
Clark tells us that it seems like yesterday that he graduated from college and now he’s moving on to the next phase of his life.
“I’ve met a lot of great people over the years that I’m proud to call friends, coworkers, coaches, administrators and in the media,” he reminisced. “I’ll miss that daily interaction the most.”
WIAA Executive Director Stephanie Hauser says that Clark will be deeply missed, saying, “Todd has been a reassuringly familiar face and a deeply trusted partner to our WIAA staff, member schools, media partners and many more for several decades.”
Hauser added, “His unique ability to connect with people and build lasting relationships across the state has left an indelible mark in the association’s rich history. We are incredibly grateful to have him remain with us through the upcoming fall season, ensuring a smooth transition and allowing us to celebrate his remarkable legacy a little bit longer.”
A search for Clark’s successor is currently underway.
