Don Hinton has announced that he will retire as executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association, effective Dec. 31. He joined the MHSAA staff Jan. 1, 2011 and became executive director July 1, 2011 following the retirement of Dr. Ennis Proctor. “I really felt when I arrived at the association that I’d like to work here for 10 years,” Hinton said. “It’s been a blessing and a great experience to be able to serve in this position. I’m very thankful for the opportunity.” He notified the MHSAA Executive Committee of his decision last week. Executive committee president Kalvin Robinson, assistant superintendent of Madison County schools, said the committee will begin the search for a successor shortly. The committee is comprised of 15 administrators from throughout the state. “My goal now and for these next six months is the same as when I became executive director in 2011: Let’s focus on doing what’s best for our students and schools in Mississippi,” Hinton said at a time when the immediate future of high school sports and activities is cloudy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve been a part of the committee since Mr. Hinton came on board,” Robinson said. “We thank him for his 9 and a half years of service and we’re looking forward to the next six months. He’s been a first-class leader the whole time. We’ll talk further about choosing his successor at the Executive Committee meeting July 14. We expect a lot of good candidates to be interested. We’ll conduct a thorough process to find the best one.” The Executive Committee has scheduled a July 14 meeting to consider the status of fall athletics and activities. The MHSAA staff includes associate directors Lonnie Tillman and Rickey Neaves and assistant directors LeAnna Dawson and Robert Holloway, Hinton said he would like his legacy to be that he served the members schools, coaches and student athletes. ‘It was always my priority to be a servant.” During his tenure, archery was added as an MHSAA sport, slow-pitch softball was discontinued and some sports, notably volleyball, saw a significant increase in the number of participating schools. Bass fishing and E-sports were added as activities. One major change was moving championships for some sports – football, basketball, softball and volleyball – to campus venues at Ole Miss, Mississippi State and the University of Southern Mississippi. Prior to joining MHSAA, Hinton held positions of principal of Vancleave High School and athletic director at Ocean Springs High School.
