In preparation for the 2016-17 school year, Whitefield Academy has recently made some key leadership appointments in its award-winning athletics program:
Danny Ryan, Athletic Director
Danny Ryan will become Whitefield Academy’s athletic director after serving as the assistant athletic director and head athletic trainer over the last eight years. Ryan attained an undergraduate degree in athletic training and sports medicine from the University of South Florida and is currently completing his certified athletic administrator designation. Before coming to Whitefield, he served as an intern with the Tampa Bay Rays and as a graduate assistant with Georgia Tech.
During his time at Whitefield, Ryan has built a strong sports medicine and athletic training program which works with an elite team of physicians, orthopedic and rehabilitation specialists, strength and conditioning coaches, and other healthcare professionals to ensure the health, safety, and peak performance of all Whitefield athletes. Ryan is also intricately involved with the sports medicine arena outside of Whitefield, serving with the Functional Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation (FPPE) project with The Ohio State University. He has been a key researcher on the project and was a featured speaker on the topic at a national conference.
Ryan believes in investing in the lives of students through athletics, citing the many life lessons he learned in his own life while playing multiple sports. Ryan created the Student WolfPack Athletic Training (SWAT) program which has trained a number of Whitefield students in sports medicine. The SWAT team assists Ryan at sporting events throughout the year, which provides them with hands-on experience in sports medicine. Many SWAT team members found their desired career through the program and have continued to study athletic training, physical therapy, and nursing on the collegiate level.
Crissy Watkins, Assistant Athletic Director of Middle School Sports
To focus on the further development of the sports program at an earlier age, Crissy Watkins, Whitefield physical education teacher, varsity softball coach, and Middle School girls soccer coach, has been named the assistant athletic director over Middle School sports. Watkins graduated from Georgetown College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and kinesiology and also earned a master’s degree in kinesiology from Oglethorpe University. She will soon be inducted into the Georgetown College Athletic Hall of Fame for her contributions as a collegiate softball player. In addition to her experience as a player and coach, Watkins taught undergraduate health and fitness classes as a graduate assistant at Oglethorpe. Watkins has had experience developing and leading programs to improve strength, agility, and speed performance. She recently led Whitefield’s Middle School girls soccer team to a North Atlanta Metro League championship.