By Charlotte Hartshorn
Born and raised in West Texas, Ms. Jameson was a sports enthusiast throughout her childhood. She played a variety of sports from track to basketball before finally choosing to play volleyball at Angelo State. After graduating in 1984, Ms. Jameson joined Northside ISD as an assistant volleyball and basketball coach. In 1985, Ms. Jameson accepted the position as volleyball head coach at Clark High School, to which she spent 22 years coaching. Over the 22 years, Ms. Jameson worked with some of the most gifted and talented players, something she credits to this day.
Quote from Stan Laing:
“Kirby is an integral part of our athletic department. She has many responsibilities as it relates to running an athletic department in a large school district, but the overwhelming value she brings to Northside ISD is her reputation as a tremendous role model for our coaches and her passion for doing things the right way. In many ways, she is the backbone of our Athletic Department and I feel blessed every day to have the opportunity to work with her.”
As the Assistant Athletic Director in NISD, what are some of your main day-to-day duties?
“Northside ISD is one of the largest districts in Texas, home to 11 schools. With none of our varsity games played on school campuses and rather at three central locations, I oversee scheduling all sports apart from football as well as hosting tournaments across the multiple sports. I am also responsible for negotiating play offs across various sports as well as interpreting UIL rules for coaches.”
What sports have you coached in the past and what are some of your accomplishments achieved in these sports?
“As a volleyball coach at Clark High School, we were fortunate to have gone to state several times, winning it twice. I also worked as the freshman basketball coach at Clark, and stepped in for sports like soccer and golf when needed. I was the girls athletic coordinator and in that position, you just step in when needed.”
What do you believe to be some of your strengths as an Assistant Athletic Director, and what are some areas you would like to develop in the future?
“As an Assistant Athletic Director, organization is definitely one of my strengths. I feel I am a good planner- we work several weeks or even months ahead so that we can give coaches and schools information ahead of events. I am also very detail oriented, but you have to be when working with 11 schools. As a district we are very good at learning from our mistakes; our decisions affect so many coaches in the district so we always have a plan B. We sometimes may never use it, but we must always have a back up plan, just in case.”
“Due to NISD being such a big district, I lack the day-to-day physical interaction with coaches and players. Due to our offices being in a central location, it’s hard for me to observe practices and sub varsity games, and that’s the part that is missing. I would love to be more integrated with the various school events around the district.”
What are some of the athletic administrative projects you have conducted or have been a part of, and how have these helped you to develop your career as an Assistant Athletic Director?
“When moving from being a high school coach to an administrative role in Northside, you’re thrown right in. You need to know schedules, tournaments, where and when teams are playing, and you have to be on top of things. Although it was hard at first, having seen the district grow from four schools to eleven, I have become familiar with the schedules and processes which has made it easier. Stan Laing, the Athletic Director of Northside, allowed me to be a part of the design team for our new gymnasium in the district, as well as part of the design team for the renovation of one of our older facilities. There has been a lot of growth and development in our district and it has been great to be a part of it.”
Where do you see yourself and your career in five years’ time?
“In five years’ time, I hope to still be helping coaches in Northside ISD. I want to be able to help them with their administrative work so that they can dedicate their time to assisting and work with the kids within their schools.””
What is one fun fact about you that very few people know?
“There’s not a lot about me that people don’t know, but some people may not know that my college volleyball coach was also my elementary physical education coach, and my high school coach. Although now retired, I still call upon her for professional and personal advice; I’ve known her since I was about nine years old, and its so nice to see that someone has been so influential on your life.”
