At the annual meeting of the Georgia Athletic Directors Association (GADA) in March in Atlanta, Athens Academy Athletic Director Kevin Petroski received the Frank Kovaleski Professional Development Award from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).

He was also recognized as the 2024-25 GADA Athletic Director of the Year for Region 8A D1. The Frank Kovaleski Professional Development Award is presented annually to “a recipient who most possesses and has contributed to the vision of Professional Development—the legacy of Frank Kovaleski. Frank was instrumental in the creation of the Leadership Training Institute of the NIAAA. The Frank Kovaleski Award is presented annually to an NIAAA member who has made significant contributions and demonstrated excellence in the area of professional development at both the state and national level."

The Board of the NIAAA selects a national winner for the Frank Kovaleski Award from among the eight section nominees across the country.

With his 2024-25 win, Coach Petroski has been named Region Athletic Director of the Year six times in his career.

Coach Petroski is in his 20th year at Athens Academy and has 35 years of experience in independent schools. He is a graduate of Deerfield-Windsor School in Albany, Georgia, and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree from Concordia University. Coach Petroski has been named the GADA Dr. Lucia B. Norwood All Classification State Athletic Director of the Year and the Class A Athletic Director of the Year. He is endorsed by the NIAAA as a Certified Athletic Administrator and Certified Master Athletic Administrator. Coach Petroski serves on the Board of the Trustees for both the GADA and the Georgia High School Association.

Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. Now in its 57th year, Athens Academy pursues its mission of “excellence with honor” through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership. Ranked the #1 private school in Athens, #6 private school in the state of Georgia (out of 400+ schools), and #1 private school in North Georgia (Niche.com).

For more information, please contact Kelley Cuneo, communications director, at [email protected] or 706-433-2410.