Sedro-Woolley High School names new athletic director

Vince Richardson, Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, Wash.
·2 min read

Jun. 17—SEDRO-WOOLLEY — Kevin Owen will become the next athletic director at Sedro-Woolley High School pending school board approval.

Owen will succeed Jerry Gardner who leaves the position to become assistant chief at the Sedro-Woolley Fire Department.

"We are thrilled to have Kevin Owen join our team at Sedro-Woolley High School," Principal Kerri Carlton said. "As a former Division I collegiate athlete, he understands the importance of striving for excellence both in the classroom and in the athletic arena.

"He has demonstrated leadership in all his past roles, and we are looking forward to the leadership and mentorship he will provide to our student-athletes and coaches."

Owen has spent time teaching and coaching in Arizona, Montana and Washington at the middle school and high school levels. The past two years he has taught social studies at Lummi Nation School in Whatcom County.

"There have been a ton of positions open this spring, and I gravitated toward Sedro more than anything," Owen said. "I felt that the community and the school really fit who I was the best. So I went for the Sedro-Woolley job with the hope of being the right fit for them as well."

Owen received a master's degree from Grand Canyon University after earning two bachelor's degrees from the University of North Carolina, where he also wrestled.

He picked up some athletic director skills early.

"I was a grad assistant for Grand Canyon's athletic director with an emphasis in sports administration," Owen said. "So I was working for the AD while getting my master's in secondary education."

Owen, who grew up in western Montana, and his wife Katie have two daughters.

"When I was in high school, I used to compete against kids from Sedro-Woolley," Owen said. "I knew about their tradition and that is part of the reason I decided to take this job.

"And it's just not state championships, they have had a lot of successful sports. And a community that strongly backs their sport teams. Those things really drove me to get there."

— Reporter Vince Richardson: 360-416-2181, vrichardson@skagitpublishing.com, Twitter:@goskagit, Facebook.com/VinceReports/