COLUMBUS — Mark Rose, athletic director at Clay High School, began his first year of a three-year term on the Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors — when the board gathered in Columbus for its first meeting of the 2024-25 school year on Thursday (Aug. 29).

Rose is the Class A representative from the Southeast District.

The OHSAA is the governing body of high school and junior high sports in Ohio.

It is a voluntary, non-profit organization that governs 817 high schools and 747 middle schools, which includes approximately 400,000 student-athletes.

Rose is a 1984 graduate of Portsmouth West High School and a 1988 graduate of Ohio University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in education.

He received his master’s degree in administration from Ohio University in 2004.

Rose has spent 36 years in education, the last 33 of which have been in the Clay Local School District as a language arts teacher.

He has also served as the district’s athletic administrator for the last 20 years — while also spending time coaching track and field, girls basketball and girls volleyball.

He retired in May 2023, but was then hired back by the district in August 2023 — as a facilities and technology assistant, athletic administrator, social media coordinator and National Honor Society advisor.

Rose is a member of the Southeast Ohio Athletic Administrators Association (SEOIAAA), the Ohio Athletic Administrators Association (OIAAA) and the National Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).

He has his Certified Athletic Administrator’s credentials (CAA), and has been recognized by his peers with the OIAAA Athletic Administrator of the Year Award (2010); SEOIAAA Citation Award (2011); SEOIAAA Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award (2012); SEOIAAA Meritorious Award (2013); and selection to the OIAAA Hall of Fame (2015).

He has been the president and vice-president of the SEOIAAA, and he currently serves as the secretary/treasurer for the association.

Rose was appointed to the Southeast District Athletic Board (SEDAB) as the Class A representative in 2014.

He has then been elected twice to serve as the Class A representative, and was the SEDAB president from 2022 through 2024.

He currently serves as the webmaster for the SEDAB.

Rose also officiates high school, club and collegiate volleyball.

He has received numerous sectional, district, regional and state tournament assignments during his 29-year officiating career, and was recognized in 2015 by the National Federation of State High School Associations and the OHSAA with the State Active Officials’ Award for his contributions to the sport of volleyball.

Rose has resided in Wheelersburg for the past 24 years.

He has two stepchildren (Jessica and Ben) who played sports at Clay and Wheelersburg respectively, and who both are graduates of Ohio University.