NDHSAA NEWS RELEASE – Friday, December 13

AUSTIN – Chad Berger, CMAA, Athletic Director and Principal at Napoleon High School is among a group of 11 athletic administrators named recipients of the 2024 Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award given by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).

Berger will be honored December 17 in Austin, Texas during the awards banquet at the 55th annual National Athletic Directors Conference (NADC) conducted jointly by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the NIAAA.

The Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to individuals from within the NIAAA membership in recognition of their length of service, special accomplishments, and contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels. Nominations are submitted by state athletic directors associations, screened by the NIAAA Awards Committee and selected by the NIAAA Board of Directors.

Berger earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education from Dickinson State University and obtained his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Mary in 2022.

Berger began his teaching Career in Trenton in 2010, where he served as the head football coach. He then moved to the Dakota Prairie School District where he taught, served as the Athletic Director, and coached golf for seven years. Berger served as the Northeast Region Representative for four years on the North Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NDIAAA) Board of Directors. Berger also was a member of the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) Athletic Review Committee.

Berger currently serves as a Professional Development Coordinator for the NDIAAA as well as Second Vice President on the NDIAAA Board of Directors. Berger served as the NDIAAA Representative on the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders (NDCEL) Board of Directors in 2021-2022. Berger is currently serving a four-year term as the Class B, Southeast Representative on the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) Board of Directors.

Berger earned his Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA) designation from the NIAAA in 2018. He also became an NIAAA Certified Master Athletic Administrator (CMAA) in 2022. He has hosted numerous district and regional tournaments as an athletic administrator. He helped create and implement All-Academic teams in local conferences. His peers selected him as District 7 and Region 4 Athletic Director of the Year in 2019, the District 6 and Region 3 Athletic Director of the Year in 2023, and the District 6, Region 3 and NDIAAA Division B Athletic Director of the Year in 2024.

Berger is currently in his fourth year as the AD/Principal at Napoleon High School. His family includes his wife Megan, son Hudson (11), and daughter Harper (8).

Previous NIAAA Bruce D. Whitehead Distinguished Service Award winners from North Dakota include: Harold Pedersen, Fargo (1982); Dr. Robert Tudor, Bismarck (1982); Dick Karlgaard, Bismarck (1985); Robert King, Valley City (1993); Dr. Terry Hjelmstad, CMAA, Minot (2001); Dick Schindler, Bismarck (2001); Ed Lockwood, CAA, Fargo (2003); Darryl Anderson, CAA, Mandan (2007); Todd Olson, CMAA, Fargo (2013); Lorell Jungling, CMAA, Mandan (2018); Dr. Mark Rerick, CMAA, Grand Forks (2019); Jason Wiberg (2022), Ryan Larson (2023).