WILLIAM R. WATSON

EDUCATION Iowa State University, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Ames, Iowa Ph.D., Education (Education Leadership), 2009

Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa MA, Teaching, 2001

United States Military Academy, West Point, New York BS, Sociology, 1993

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR OF ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION 2002 - present Urbandale Community School District - Urbandale, Iowa District Leadership  Served as an active member of the District’s Leadership Team, participating in administrative activities to include meetings with the Board of Directors, monthly meetings with the team, and the study of topics that included discussions on curriculum, special education, equity, personnel, finance, and operations  Collaborated with the District’s Support Services Leadership Team to enhance knowledge of systems thinking and promote working relationships across all departments Personnel and Operations Management  Led a six-person management team responsible for the direction of the Activities and Community Education departments  Supervised and annually evaluated over 100 coaches and directors that comprise the 7-12 Activities Department  Directed the hiring of nearly 300 staff members in 18 years in the Activities and Community Education Departments  Focused on equity and inclusion in each hiring process to ensure the hiring of the most qualified individual for each position and the individual that met the needs of our diverse student population  Maintained a department rating in the 99th percentile for both Employee Engagement and Operational Services as measured by the Studer Education Group and the Gallup Poll  Expanded coaching and support staff in an 18-year period by over 25% to better serve all students in activities  Directed all planning and mitigation strategies for activities in the District during the COVID-19 pandemic in coordination with the Director of Human Resources to include curricular music offerings  Created a comprehensive system of websites to direct communication, scheduling, and student management; the public website receives an average of over 1.2 million hits per month and is compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines  Collaborated with legal counsel to navigate complex situations ranging from personnel matters to issues of compliance with Iowa Code, IRS guidance, and the many different policies impacting schools and interscholastic athletics to ensure past, present, and future alignment with regulations Finance  Oversaw nearly $30 million in improvements to athletic and performing arts facilities in 18 years  Partnered with other stakeholders to successfully lead a campaign to fund and design a new $5.5 million Performance Lab and Studio and an additional $2.5 million HVAC improvement to our athletic area that opened in the summer of 2020; the Performance Lab was rated in the top 10 high school weight rooms by MaxPreps in September, 2020  Collaborated to create, develop, and manage the public financing and construction of $10.4 million in improvements to activities’ facilities to include a new stadium and performing arts center that were completed in 2007  Eliminated athletic participation fees and dramatically decreased auxiliary charges for students in activities, yet managed to maintain budgets and programming at all levels in all activities  Centralized 30 different fundraising activities and sports camps under one heading, eliminated liability and loss for the District, and provided direction for coaches and staff, students, parents, and the community Safety and Security  Led a proactive approach to student safety by becoming one of the first schools in Iowa to mandate concussion training for all coaches (which has since been mandated by the legislature) and by administering pre-testing to all high school athletes  Recognized as one of the first schools in Iowa to hire a full-time director of strength and conditioning to ensure the physical and mental development of students is handled in a safe, realistic, professional, and manageable way  Utilized information gained through training with Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Security and Safety (USM/NCS4) to implement new safety protocols for all venues and events through a collaborative effort with school administration and the Urbandale Police and Fire Departments  Collaborated with the Polk County Health Department to analyze and implement safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the implementation of these plans in activities’ departments across central Iowa school districts with success WILLIAM R. WATSON

Athletics and Activities  Demonstrated an increase in overall athletic participation by nearly 250 students (over a 24% increase) in an 18-year period of time while the total school population at Urbandale High School grew at a rate of only 6%  Removed barriers to participation that many of the students in our District experienced through time by actively engaging with our students and families and staff to highlight the value of participation  Received academic recognition annually for over 500 individual participants, a 33% increase in 18 years, and all 21 athletic teams, a 75% increase over that same period  Partnered with the Institute for Excellence and Ethics and The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University to develop a comprehensive leadership and character development program for all students in activities; this program, J-Hawk Foundations is believed to be the first of its kind on the high school level in the United States Community Education  Assumed the role of Director of Community Education in July 2012, in addition to duties as Director of Activities, and in eight years, developed a program from the ground up that is offering over 300 different opportunities for individuals to extend their learning in both academic, life-skills, and activity/recreation based programming; this program generated over $275,000 in revenue in 2018-2019 and was on pace to exceed that in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic  Expanded offerings to support the extension of the school day in STEM, foreign language, youth enrichment, and test preparation to go along with a variety of adult course offerings, serving over 4,500 in 2018-2019 and was on pace to exceed that in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic  Coordinated with staff to include school counselors and family support advocates at the elementary and middle school level to ensure that students and families were aware of both the programming and financial support available in this programming to increase participation and involvement by all in our community  Provided oversight to the District’s Preschool and Before and After School program that serves over 1,000 students and a staff of 180 that supports learning and programming; program revenues in 2018-2019 were in excess of $1.7 million

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE, VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES & PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT  National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security Interscholastic Advisory Committee, October 2019 – present  Urbandale Community School District Calendar Committee, 2018 – present  Robert D. and Billie Ray Center Pursuing Victory with Honor Summit Committee, 2017 – present  Iowa High School Athletic Directors Evaluation Development Committee, 2017 – present  Urbandale Community School District Facility Leadership Committee, 2018 – 2019 and 2021-present  Large School Representative Member, Iowa High School Athletic Association Classification Committee, 2008 - present  School Representative, Iowa High School Athletic Association Football RPI System Development, 2017-2018  CIML Representative, Iowa High School Athletic Association, Western Iowa Football Committee, 2011-2015  Chairperson, CIML Realignment Committee, 2011 and 2014  Chairperson, Girls Soccer Advisory Board, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, 2004-2010  Volunteer Co-Chairperson, Fundraising and Donations, Arthritis Walk of Des Moines, 2008-2010  Junior Director, Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association, Central District, 2008-2009  President, Central Iowa Metropolitan League, 2007-2008  Volunteer Youth Sports Coach, 2007 – 2017  Vice President, Central Iowa Metropolitan League, 2006-2007 and 2020-2021  Developer and Writer, Public Service Announcement – Sportsmanship, Central Iowa Metropolitan League, 2005  Chairperson, Economic Development, Johnston, Iowa Chamber of Commerce, 1997-1998  Activities Director, Des Moines East High School, 2001-2002  Safety Director, American Concrete Products / Nuckolls Concrete Services, 2000-2001  General Manager, Soccer and Sports Center, 1996-2000  Assistant Operations Manager (S2/S3) / Transportation Officer – United States Army, 1993-1995  Head Boys Basketball Coach, Dallas Center-Grimes High School, 1996-2000  Assistant Boys Basketball Coach, Des Moines Hoover High School, 1995-1996

HONORS & AWARDS  National High School Athletic Coaches Association – Athletic Director of the Year Nominee, 2018  Character Champion Award – The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center, 2017  Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association Service Award: 15 years (2016), 10 years (2011), 5 years (2006)  District Athletic Director of the Year – Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association, 2009  State Administrator of the Year - Iowa Girls Coaches Association, Girls’ Softball Administration, 2006  Manatt Fellowship, Iowa State University, 2004