Proctor has made a career out of education. The 66-year-old Mississippi College alum has served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, and principal in both Florida and Mississippi. Now, as he enters his 18th year with the MHSAA, Proctor will spend the next year assisting newly appointed NFHS President Jim Tenopir. Then, in July 2009, Proctor takes the reins as the NFHS’ 50th president—and the first from Mississippi.

AM: What does it mean to be chosen as NFHS president-elect?
Proctor: It means a lot. I think it was not only an honor for me, but also for the state of Mississippi. It shows how far our state’s athletic and activity programs have come, and I appreciate the national board of directors voting for me and showing the confidence in me to provide leadership for the National Federation.

When I took over in Mississippi, we were financially strapped, and didn’t have many activities for our kids. We now have 24 state championship sports, and many other state-sanctioned programs such as speech and debate events, marching band festivals, all-state bands honors, and scholar-athlete awards.

What spurred the changes?
We just had to be more open and let people know we were here for the students. Before I took over, the association was not people oriented. If you called the association, you were told to read your handbook. We had to mend fences with the press and with member schools. We want the schools to feel like this is their association. We’re here to serve them, and we wanted the press to know that we were going to be open and honest in our dealings with them.

Our reputation is such that we’re going to make the tough decision, because we have to. We may not give you the decision that you like, but it’s going to be an open, honest decision and they know that. Our philosophy is that if there’s any way we can help a child, within the rules, we’re going to help that child. We’re going to do everything we can to help them with their participation because we know how important it is to participate in athletics and activities.

What are your duties as President-Elect?
My job this year is really to assist the President with anything that he needs, and give him my full support. I’ll certainly do that. Hopefully I’ll learn about what’s happening and some of the duties that I’ll need to perform from Jim, so that when I move into the position I’ll have a good understanding of what the job requires.

Was this a goal you had worked toward?
I wouldn’t say it was a goal. I was encouraged by some of the board members to put my name in the hat, and once you put your name in the hat, certainly you want to be elected. My background and experience working in our association has really helped prepare me for that job.

What will happen to the MHSAA while you are serving as NFHS president?
I’ll still be here in Mississippi, but I’ll be gone quite a bit. Even this year, as President-Elect, there will be events across the country I have to attend.

But I’ll be depending on my staff to keep things moving on the home front. There are decisions I’ll still have to make back home, but I have a good staff and they’ll be prepared.

Have you thought about your plans for when you take over as president of the NFHS?
Not yet. I have some things going through my mind, but I haven’t really put anything down on paper. I’m one of those people who thinks deeply about things like ethics and sportsmanship before putting anything in writing.

What is the biggest issue facing the NFHS?
You just don’t know what’s going to happen with this fuel cost crisis. That’s one of the biggest issues we’re facing right now in Mississippi. We cut 10 percent of our games in all sports except for football at the request of our superintendents. Ten percent can add up pretty quickly when you have that many events going on. I think that’s going to be an issue at the national level.

Will your term as NFHS president help you do your job in Mississippi better when you return?
I’m sure it will. Any time you’re in a different leadership position, you’re always picking up new ideas, getting new strengths, and attacking new problems. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot.

What will be the biggest challenge of the new job?
The biggest challenge is the time factor. I have to use my time wisely. I have to be able to make a contribution at the national level and still do my tasks back home. That’s definitely going to be a challenge. But that’s just part of the job. If you do the best you can, people respect that. If they see you working hard, they’re going to work hard.

Mike Phelps is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management. Contact him at mp@momentummedia.com.