Owensboro High School Athletic Director Todd Harper has been named the 2025 Region 3 Athletic Administrator of the Year — an honor he said is made even more meaningful because it’s voted on by his peers.
“It’s a good feeling to get recognized for any award, but especially one like this,” Harper said. “It’s a team effort here. I’ve got a great staff with my Administrative Assistant Kathy Hoffman and Assistant AD Jason Harrison. We all work well together to make sure our student-athletes and teams have what they need to succeed.”
Harper, who has worked in athletic administration for 13 years — including the last eight as the district’s AD — has helped shape the landscape of sports in the region. He currently serves as president of both the 3rd Region Athletic Directors Association and the 3rd Region Policy Board, while also representing the region on the Kentucky Athletic Administrators Association (KAAA) Board of Directors.
He said the award isn’t about wins and losses, but more about understanding the depth of the job and supporting fellow ADs.
“This job’s a revolving door at a lot of schools, so I try to be a resource for others. I get questions from ADs all the time about policies and procedures. If I can help them out, I do,” he said. “There’s just so much behind the scenes that people don’t see.”
Under Harper’s leadership, Owensboro has become known for its tradition of excellence — both in competition and in building community around its athletic programs.
“Athletics has been a huge part of our district for more than 150 years,” he said. “We’ve got a great fan base, not just parents but former players who genuinely care about our teams and athletes.”
Among Harper’s accomplishments are building strong partnerships with other school districts and policy boards to increase athletic participation, advocating for small schools by partnering with the Class 2A Championships, and helping mediate agreements for venues and funding of regional basketball tournaments.
He also led the development and presentation of a $21 million facilities renovation plan to the Board of Education, aimed at enhancing athletic opportunities for thousands of students.
Harper oversees athletics at the elementary, middle, and high school levels across the district — managing more than 600 contests annually, with 44 teams at the high school alone.
“It’s a lot, no doubt. But if it’s done right, it’s extremely beneficial,” he said.
This is the second time Harper has earned the regional award, with the first honor coming in 2022. He’ll be recognized at the KAAA annual banquet in late April, where five regional winners will be considered for the State Athletic Director of the Year honor.
A decision on the state-level award will be announced at the banquet.
